LIBRARY 

UHIVE   SITT  OF 
CAIIPORNIA 

SAN  DIEGO 


> 


XX 


THE 


SOCIAL  LAW  OF  SERVICE 


BY 


RICHARD  T.  ELY,   PH.D.,  LL.D. 
^> 

PROFESSOR  OF  POLITICAL  ECONOMY  AND  DIRECTOR  OF  THE  SCHOOL 

OF   ECONOMICS,  POLITICAL  SCIENCE,  AND  HISTORY 

IN  THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  WISCONSIN 


NEW  YORK:  EATON  &  MAINS 

CINCINNATI  ;    CURTS  &   JENNINGS 

1396 


Copyright  by 

EATON  &  MAINS, 

1896. 


Composition,  electrotyping, 
printing,  and  binding  by 

EATON  &  MAINS, 
150  Fifth  Ave.,  New  York. 


TO 

MY  WIFE. 


PREFACE. 


THIS  little  volume  of  essays,  the  growth  of 
years,  deals  with  topics  belonging  to  that 
border  land  in  which  theology,  ethics,  and  eco- 
nomics meet.  Scientifically  no  territory  is  more 
fascinating;  practically  none  can  be  more  im- 
portant, for  it  is  in  this  border  land  that  the 
problems  of  life  present  themselves  to  us. 

While  the  author's  aim  has  been  to  write  a 
work  which  the  young  person  of  high  school  at- 
tainments may  read  with  profit,  possibly  even  the 
more  mature  reader  will  not  in  one  perusal  ex- 
haust all  the  meaning  which  has  been  put  into 
it.  May  the  author,  therefore,  venture  to  hope 
that  the  present  work  will  find  readers  who  deem 
it  not  unworthy  of  careful  study? 

The  character  of  the  work  and  the  point  of 
view  from  which  it  is  written  have  been  made  so 
plain  in  the  opening  chapter  that  further  words 
of  explanation  can  scarcely  be  necessary  ;  and  it 
only  remains  for  the  author  to  express  his  thanks 
to  those  friends  who  have  assisted  him  with  wise 
criticisms  and  helpful  suggestions. 
MADISON,  Wis.,  U.  S.  A., 
February  19,  1896. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I.  PAGE 

OUR  FIRM  FOUNDATION n 

CHAPTER  II. 
OUR  POINT  OF  VIEW 25 

CHAPTER  III. 

THE   RELATIONS    OF  THE  OLD  AND  THE  NEW  TESTA- 
MENTS  SOCIALLY  CONSIDERED 49 

CHAPTER  IV. 
THE  SOCIAL  LAW  OF  SERVICE 75 

CHAPTER  V. 

THE  SOCIAL  SIGNIFICANCE  OF  BAPTISM  AND  THE  LORD'S 

SUPPER v 103 

\ 

CHAPTER  VI. 
SOCIAL  SOLIDARITY 125 

CHAPTER  VII. 
OUR  NEIGHBORS 141 


10  Contents. 

CHAPTER  VIII.  PACK 

THE  STATE 157 

CHAPTER  IX. 
MAKING  MEN  Goon  BY  LAW 177 

CHAPTER  X. 

INADEQUACY  OF    PRIVATE   PHILANTHROPY   FOR  SOCIAL 

REFORM 191 

CHAPTER  XI. 
OUR   EARNINGS 209 

CHAPTER  XII. 
OUR  SPENDINGS 223 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
WHAT  TO  Do 247 


CHAPTER  I. 

OUR  FIRM  FOUNDATION, 


"  How  firm  a  foundation,  ye  saints  of  the  Lord, 
Is  laid  for  your  faith  in  his  excellent  word  !  " 


THE  SOCIAL  LAW  OF  SERVICE. 


CHAPTER  I. 

OUR    FIRM    FOUNDATION. 

A  RCHIMEDES  was  so  impressed  with  the 
i\  power  which  even  so  weak  an  instrument 
as  man  could  exert  with  the  aid  of  the  lever  that 
he  said,  "  Give  me  a  place  where  I  may  stand, 
and  I  will  move  the  earth."  What  we  need,  if 
we  would  develop  principles  and  rules  for  the 
action  of  ourselves  and  others  in  our  mutual  re- 
lations, is  solid  ground  under  our  feet  as  a  firm 
foundation.  The  advantage  which  those  enjoy 
who  have  accepted  Christ  and  His  Gospel  is  in 
this  respect  immeasurable.  Using  the  figure  of 
the  lever,  we  may  say  that  Christ  and  His  Gospel 
constitute  the  lever  itself,  and  that  the  Church  is 
the  fulcrum,  and  that  this  lever  is  sufficient  to 
move  the  world. 

Let  us  consider  more  carefully  what  these 
statements  just  made  signify.  This  book  is 
written  for  those  who  accept  Christ  and  His 


14  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

teachings.  It  is  not  necessary  to  argue  about 
them,  because  they  are  taken  for  granted.  In 
all  systems  of  conduct,  the  difficulty  is  to  estab- 
lish first  principles  ;  when  these  are  granted,  the 
rest  follows  easily  enough  in  accordance  with 
scientific  laws.  Now,  ethical  teachers  start  with 
principles  of  social  conduct  essentially  like  those 
which  we  find  in  the  New  Testament,  but  the 
difficulty  which  they  all  labor  under  is  the  estab- 
lishment of  these  first  principles.  One  school  of 
writers  takes  as  a  guiding  principle  the  greatest 
amount  of  happiness.  These  writers  claim  that 
we  should  so  regulate  our  conduct  that  the  total 
amount  of  happiness  in  society  may  be  increased. 
If  a  sacrifice  of  happiness  on  my  part,  which  we 
may  represent  as  2a,  brings  to  some  one  else,  or 
to  others,  or  to  the  whole  of  society — that  is,  to  the 
entire  world — happiness  equal  in  amount  to  3a, 
then  it  is  my  duty  to  sacrifice  my  own  happiness 
in  this  case,  thereby  increasing  the  total  amount 
of  pleasure  or  happiness  in  the  world.  This  is 
what  is  called  the  utilitarian  system  of  morals. 
When  it  was  felt  that  all  sorts  of  happiness  were 
not  entitled  to  equal  rank,  the  utilitarian  system 
was  further  elaborated  by  a  distinction  between 
different  kinds  of  happiness,  giving  us  happiness 
of  a  higher  and  happiness  of  a  lower  order.  There 
can  be  little  doubt  that  when  we  build  upon  these 
principles  a  system  of  conduct,  we  shall  have 


Our  Firm  Foundation.  15 

something  to  guide  us  in  our  social  relations 
which  accords  with  the  teachings  of  Christ.  But 
if  we  ask,  "  Why?"  when  each  of  these  funda- 
mental principles  is  stated,  the  answer  is  not  alto- 
gether easy.  Why  should  I  give  up  my  own  hap- 
piness to  increase  the  total  amount  of  happiness 
in  the  world  ?  Why  should  I  divide  pleasures  into 
classes  and  place  the  pleasures  of  the  mind  and 
spirit  above  those  of  the  body  ?  What  is  it  which 
guides  me  when  I  distinguish  between  higher 
and  lower  orders  of  pleasures  ?  Scientific  writers 
upon  conduct — that  is  to  say,  the  ethical  philoso- 
phers— are  divided  among  themselves  when  they 
attempt  to  give  answers  to  these  questions. 
Their  speculations  are  exceedingly  interesting 
and  valuable,  and  there  is  no  reason  why  they 
should  be  disparaged;  but  when  we  want  a  guide 
and  a  support  in  our  life,  we  feel  that  we  must 
have  a  firmer  foundation  under  our  feet.  The 
discussions  of  the  scientific  writers  seem  to  leave 
us  too  much  in  the  air.  But  when  one  accepts 
Christ  and  His  teachings,  one  can  answer  the 
question  why  we  accept  our  fundamental  prin- 
ciples. We  say  we  believe  in  the  law  of  self- 
improvement  and  self-sacrifice  because  it  has 
been  given  to  us  by  one  whose  wisdom  and 
authority  we  acknowledge. 

Christ,  Himself,  gave  us  in  a  few  words  a  fun- 
damental principle  which  should  guide  us  in  our 
2 


16  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

conduct  to  our  fellow-men.  The  whole  duty  of 
man  is  divided  into  two  parts :  the  one  relating 
to  our  duty  toward  God,  and  that  is  that  we 
should  love  Him  with  all  our  heart  and  mind 
and  soul ;  and  the  other  is  our  duty  to  our  fel- 
low-man, and  that  is  that  we  should  love  him  as 
we  love  ourselves.  Christ  said,  "  On  these  two 
commandments  hang  all  the  law  and  the  proph- 
ets," meaning  that  the  entire  message  of  God 
to  man  was  but  an  elaboration  of  these  prin- 
ciples. 

The  simplicity  of  these  two  fundamental  prin- 
ciples has  misled  many.  We  may  compare 
them  with  the  axioms  and  definitions  in  math- 
ematics. Nothing  could  be  simpler  than  these 
axioms  and  definitions.  Everyone  will  accept 
it  as  a  mere  matter  of  course  that  "  a  whole  is 
greater  than  any  of  its  parts,"  and  so  on  with  other 
axioms.  Yet,  simple  as  these  axioms  and  defini- 
tions are,  easily  as  they  are  understood  even  by 
the  schoolboy,  they  contain  in  themselves  the 
whole  of  mathematics ;  even  the  higher  branches 
of  mathematics,  which  a  very  few  are  capable  of 
grasping,  are  all  involved  in  the  axioms  and  defini- 
tions with  which  we  start.  Similarly  there  may  be 
difficulties,  and  in  modern  society  there  are  unques- 
tionably very  great  difficulties  in  the  elaboration  of 
the  "Golden  Rule"  intoasystem  of  conduct  which 
shall  solve  the  problems  of  life  as  they  thrust 


Our  Firm  Foundation.  17 

themselves  upon  us.  It  is  not  the  purpose  of  the 
Gospel  to  render  every  difficult  problem  easy. 
Nothing  can  be  further  from  the  will  of  Christ 
than  to  say,  when  one  faces  the  problems  of  mod- 
ern society,  "  The  Gospel  of  Christ  will  solve 
them,"  if  we  then,  with  this  general  statement, 
turn  away  from  an  attempt  at  their  solution.  It 
is  true  that  there  is  no  problem  of  society  which 
the  Gospel  of  Christ  will  not  solve  if  it  is  ap- 
plied. But  the  question  is,  What  does  this  Gos- 
pel mean  now  and  here  in  this  conflicting  chaos 
of  views  and  obligations  ?  What  does  it  mean  for 
the  magistrate  and  for  the  legislator  ?  for  the  rail- 
way president  ?  for  the  president  of  a  college  and 
for  a  professor  ?  for  employers,  large  and  small, 
and  for  wage-earners?  When  any  member  of  a 
legislative  body  is  asked  to  fix  a  rate  of  wages 
for  public  employees  somewhat  in  excess  of  the 
competitive  rate  in  order  that  he  may  give  an 
upward  tendency  to  wages  and  help  raise  the 
rate  generally,  is  he  to  do  this?  Or,  is  he  to 
take  the  stand  that  the  taxpayers'  interests  are 
paramount?  Must  he  say,  "I  have  no  right  to 
use  public  money  to  pay  more  than  the  lowest 
competitive  rate  of  wages?  "  Or  shall  he  say,  on 
the  other  hand,  that  organized  society  has  a 
moral  character  and  is  under  moral  obligations,  and 
that  in  this  matter,  as  in  other  matters,  he  must 
endeavor  to  carry  out  a  line  of  conduct  which 


18  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

will  promote  general  well-being?  Or,  we  may 
take  the  case  of  a  railway  president  who  has,  on 
the  one  hand,  to  consider  his  stockholders  and,  on 
the  other,  his  employees.  How  do  their  interests 
weigh  over  and  against  one  another?  What 
does  the  Gospel  of  Christ  teach  him  in  this  con- 
flict of  interests  and  apparent  conflict  of  duties? 
From  this  Gospel  can  he  elaborate  any  general 
principle  which  will  tell  him  whether  wages  or 
dividends  should  come  first  in  the  allotment  of 
the  rewards  of  their  joint  earnings?  Or  to  what 
extent,  perchance,  should  the  one  take  the  pre- 
cedence of  the  other?  Take  the  case  of  a  pres- 
ident of  a  privately  endowed  and  supported  col- 
lege. Shall  he  receive  every  sum  of  money 
offered,  no  matter  how  this  money  has  been  got- 
ten together?  If  he  must  ever  refuse  money, 
under  what  circumstances  must  he  refuse  it,  and 
under  what  conditions  must  he  receive  it?  Shall 
he  say,  when  certain  money  is  given  him,  "  This 
represents  the  gains  of  iniquity,  and  I  cannot 
receive  it?"  Or,  shall  he  make  a  distinction  be- 
tween those  cases  in  which  the  iniquity  is  sup- 
ported and  bolstered  up  by  the  acceptance  of  the 
gift  and  the  wrongdoer  glorified,  and  those  in 
which  the  acceptance  of  the  wealth  seems  to  have 
no  bearing  upon  an  encouragement  or  discour- 
agement of  the  course  of  action  which  resulted 
in  its  accumulation  ?  Does  it  make  any  differ- 


Our  Firm  Foundation.  19 

ence  whether  the  giver  is  dead  or  living,  or 
whether,  if  living,  he  comes  as  a  penitent  who 
would  make  restitution,  or  one  who  seeks  honor 
for  himself'1  Again,  shall  the  authorities  of  an 
educational  institution  allow  the  management 
of  the  institution  to  be  influenced  consciously  by 
the  hope  of  gifts?  Shall  certain  views  be  sup- 
pressed or  only  uttered  in  whispers  because  they 
would  be  likely  to  give  offense  to  actual  or  pro- 
spective benefactors?  Again,  is  there  danger 
that  schools  and  churches  may  be  even  uncon- 
sciously perverted  by  gifts?  Do  warnings  against 
gifts  which  are  uttered  in  the  Bible  ever  apply 
to  present  conditions?  Is  there  still  danger  that 
a  gift  may  "  blind  the  eyes  of  the  wise,  and  per- 
vert the  words  of  the  righteous?"  Do  we  still 
need  to  be  reminded  that  with  God  there  is 
no  "taking  of  gifts?"2 

Answers  to  some  of  these  questions  may  seem 
easy  to  the  readers  of  this  little  work,  and  an- 
swers to  others  difficult.  It  is  safe  to  say  that 
they  would  not  be  answered  by  all  in  precisely 
the  same  manner,  yet  these  are  by  no  means  the 
most  difficult  questions  which  could  be  asked. 
In  actual  life  questions  often  present  themselves 
in  a  much  more  complicated  form,  and  it  is  pre- 
cisely characteristic  of  modern  society  that  the 

1  Deuteronomy  xvi,  19  ;  also  Exodus  xxiii,  8. 
4  2  Chronicles  xix,  7. 


20         .     The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

problems  confronting  us  become  more  and  more 
complex  and  difficult.  On  the  other  hand,  we 
have  in  the  principles  of  Christ  a  secure  founda- 
tion upon  which  to  build,  and  we  have  in  the 
Church  sufficient  intellect  for  their  solution. 

We  have,  however,  something  far  more  than 
principles.  The  most  powerful  social  force  known 
to  man  is  religion  ;  beyond  anything  else,  it  has 
shaped  and  is  shaping  the  world's  history.  It  is 
the  power  which  leads  men  to  subordinate  their 
own  inclinations  and  interests  to  the  well-being 
of  society.  It  is  something  more  than  this,  but  it 
is  this  among  other  things.  Our  religion  is  not 
something  abstract  merely ;  it  is  something  con- 
crete and  living  which  presents  itself  in  the  per- 
son of  Him  who  more  and  more  is  attaching 
to  Himself  the  affections  of  men.  It  is  not  any 
combination  of  abstract  principles,  nor  is  it  any 
number  of  articles  of  religion,  nine  or  thirty-nine, 
that  will  draw  the  world,  but  only  a  living  per- 
sonality. Christ  said,  "  I,  if  I  be  lifted  up,  will 
draw  all  men  unto  Me."  This  prediction  is  in 
process  of  realization.  Men  dispute  about  creeds, 
but  are  more  and  more  filled  with  admiration  for 
Christ.  Workingmen  reject  with  contempt  eccle- 
siasticism,  but  look  to  Christ  as  their  leader. 
And  in  Christ  we  have  a  leader,  meek  beyond 
comparison,  yet  unequaled  in  strength ;  gentle, 
as  no  one  has  ever  been  gentle  before,  yet  un- 


Our  Firm  Foundation.  21 

paralleled  in  sternness ;  one  who  presents  to  us 
the  best  qualities  of  woman,  and  yet  a  manliness 
which  is  a  model  to  the  strongest. 

Christ  revealed  to  us  the  fatherhood  of  God; 
and  fatherhood  means  the  brotherhood  of  man. 
Now,  this  points  us  to  something  else.  Brother- 
hood implies  fatherhood,  and  this  also  must  not 
be  overlooked.  Brotherhood  cannot  be  real  and 
genuine  without  fatherhood. 

But  our  standpoint  gives  us  something  further: 
We  must  desire  social  righteousness  if  we  are 
Christians,  and  we  must  work  for  it.  Yet,  at 
times,  disappointment  is  certain  to  be  the  out- 
come of  our  effort.  The  way  to  the  attainment 
of  the  destiny  of  society  is  slow  and  wearisome, 
and  the  struggles  which  attend  our  progress  are 
hard.  Many  begin  the  journey  and  turn  aside, 
but  the  Christian  has  a  twofold  source  of  strength: 
First,  in  Christ  we  have  a  personal  Comforter  who 
affords  us  consolation  in  our  weariness  and  dis- 
appointments, and  we  have  in  Him  a  Friend  whose 
life  was  an  apparent  failure,  and  apparently  as 
complete  a  failure  when  He  hung  on  the  cross  at 
Calvary  as  the  world  has  ever  seen.  In  the 
second  place,  we  have  the  assurance  that  nothing 
is  in  reality  lost ;  that  we  are  working  for  a  cause 
which  will  finally  triumph  because,  back  of  it, 
there  stands  a  Ruler  of  human  destinies.  We 
have  thus  a  sure  and  steadfast  hope. 


22  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

We  know  that  self-sacrifice  is  real,  and  that  the 
individual  perishes  for  the  race.  This  is  a  literal, 
scientific  truth ;  yet  we  have  before  us  the  final 
purpose  which  is  accomplished  through  the  self- 
sacrifice  of  countless  generations  of  individuals, 
and,  so  far  as  the  individual  is  concerned,  we 
know  that  death  means  life.  He  that  lays  down 
his  life,  saves  it.  It  is  religion  which  makes  pos- 
sible this  sacrifice,  and,  at  the  same  time,  alone 
makes  it  rational. 

.  The  final  triumph  of  social  righteousness  is 
something  given  to  us  in  countless  passages  in 
the  Bible,  and  is  something,  furthermore,  which 
is  implied  in  our  entire  standpoint.  The  Psalmist 
tells  us,  "  The  wicked  shall  be  turned  into  hell,  and 
all  the  nations  that  forget  God.  For  the  needy 
shall  not  always  be  forgotten  :  the  expectation  of 
the  poor  shall  not  perish  forever."1  And  the 
prophet  Isaiah  says  of  Christ,  "  He  shall  see  of 
the  travail  of  His  soul,  and  shall  be  satisfied."2 

Our  standpoint  gives  us  the  cross  to  be  borne 
for  our  fellows.  This  may  come  in  many  forms ; 
often  it  comes  in  part  in  personal  infirmities, 
weaknesses,  and  the  like ;  but  borne  in  cheerful- 
ness, it  proves  a  blessing ;  yet  the  cross  remains. 
'.  It  may  not  be  too  much  to  say  that  nothing 
less  than  religion  can  render  reforms  and  reform- 
ers safe.  It  is  because  religion  furnishes  a  basis 

1  Psalm  ix,  17,  18.  2  Isaiah  liii,  n. 


Our  Firm  Foundation.  23 

and  an  enduring  hope,  and  at  the  same  time  fur- 
nishes restraints.  It  points  out  the  only  sure 
road  to  success  in  social  reform.  Those  who 
have  not  thjs  help  and  this  hope  are  liable  to 
mistakes  which  have  been  witnessed  in  thousands 
and  thousands  of  cases;  frequently  they  grow 
weary  in  well-doing  because  the  coming  of  the 
Kingdom  is  delayed,  and  turn  aside  from  their 
high  purpose.  On  the  other  hand,  some  seeing 
the  slowness  with  which  the  methods  of  peace 
accomplish  their  purpose,  feel  inclined  to  resort 
to  methods  of  force,  and  the  propaganda  of  an- 
archy is  the  result. 


CHAPTER  II. 
OUR  POINT  OF  VIEW. 


"  MANY  nations  have  believed  in  gods  of  mixed  or  positively 
malignant  character.  Other  nations  have,  indeed,  ascribed  to 
their  deities  all  the  admirable  qualities  they  could  conceive, 
but  benevolence  was  not  one  of  these.  They  have  believed  in 
gods  that  were  beautiful,  powerful,  immortal,  happy,  but  not 
benevolent." — Sir  J.  R.  Seeley,  Natural  Religion,  p.  13. 

"  But  the  Ethics  of  the  Greeks  were  at  the  best  narrow  and 
egoistical.  Morality,  however  exalted  or  comprehensive,  only 
seemed  to  embrace,  the  individual ;.  it  was.  extremely  incomplete 
as  regards  the  family  ;  and  had  scarcely  any  suspicion  of  what 
we  call  social  relations.  No  Greek  ever  attained  the  sublimity 
of  such  a  point  of  view.  The  highest  point  he  could  attain  was 
to  conduct  himself  according  to  just  principles ;  he  never 
troubled  himself  with  others.  By  the  introduction  of  Chris- 
tianity, Ethics  became  Social  as  well  as  Individual." — George 
Henry  Lewes,  Biographical  History  of  Philosophy,  Vol.  7,  Con- 
clusion of  Ancient  Philosophy,  pp.  337,  338. 


Our  Point  of  View.  27 


CHAPTER  II. 

OUR    POINT    OF    VIEW. 

EVERY  great  advance  in  science  has  had  as 
its  beginning  and  first  cause  a  new  point 
of  view.  Every  epoch-making  discovery  has  im- 
plied a  way  of  looking  at  things  different  from 
that  which  has  previously  prevailed.  As  the 
world's  civilization  advances  new  points  of  view 
prevail.  Great  stages  in  the  evolution  of  religion 
are  characterized  by  progressively  better  points 
of  view.  The  great  lights  in  the  world's  history 
give  us  new  points  of  view.  Every  system  of 
philosophy  or  religion  has  its  point  of  view 
which  is  a  key  to  its  comprehension. 

The  Copernican  system  of  astronomy  reversed 
the  old  way  of  looking  at  the  earth,  the  sun,  and 
the  planets.  Copernicus  asserted  that  the  sun 
was  the  center  about  which  the  earth  and  the 
planets  revolved.  The  correctness  of  this  sys- 
tem was  thoroughly  established  by  Kepler,  Gal- 
ileo, and,  above  all,  Newton.  It  was  a  glorious 
achievement,  and  it  lies  at  the  basis  of  subse- 
quent progress  in  this  branch  of  knowledge. 
William  Harvey,  in  the  seventeenth  century,  dis- 


28  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

covered  the  circulation  of  the  blood,  and  this 
gave  a  point  of  view  which  was  epoch-making  in 
the  knowledge  of  the  human  body.  Lavoisier 
overthrew  the  theory  of  combustion  based  upon 
an  escape  of  a  substance  called  phlogiston,  and 
showed  that  combustion  was  an  act  of  combina- 
tion with  oxygen.  He  demonstrated  that  in 
combustion  the  weight  of  the  product  was  equal 
to  the  sum  of  the  weight  of  the  substance  burned 
and  the  oxygen  used  up.  His  great  instrument 
was  the  balance  which  had  previously  been  neg- 
lected, and  he  thus  introduced  the  quantitative 
period  of  chemistry.  This  was  a  new  point  of 
view  which  gave  an  immense  impetus  to  chem- 
ical knowledge.  Charles  Darwin's  vast  contribu- 
tion to  knowledge  consists  in  the  doctrine  of 
evolution  which  has  been  and  is  being  applied 
to  every  branch  of  knowledge,  even  to  religion, 
with  astonishing  results.  Error  has  been  mixed 
with  truth  in  the  immense  intellectual  activity  to 
which  Darwin's  point  of  view  has  given  rise,  but 
it  will  in  the  end  be  seen  that  probably  the  work 
of  few  men  who  have  ever  lived  has  so  advanced 
the  intellectual  progress,  and  perhaps,  also,  the 
social  progress,  of  the  race.  Yet  it  was  all  given 
in  the  point  of  view. 

If  we  would  understand  the  Christian  religion 
we  must  have  the  point  of  view  of  Christ.  What 
was  it  which  distinguished  His  message  to  the 


Our  Point  of  View.  29 

race  from  that  of  all  other  religious  teachers,  and 
made  it  infinitely  more  fruitful  of  good  ?  There 
is  one  word  which  will  sum  it  all  up,  and  that  is, 
love — love  of  a  different  sort  from  anything  which 
the  world  had  known.  The  revelation  of  Christ 
was  the  revelation  of  love.  It  manifested  itself, 
however,  in  two  different  aspects:  a  Godward 
and  a  manward  aspect. 

Now,  it  is  our  purpose  to  consider  rather  the 
second  manifestation  of  love,  but  we  cannot  neg- 
lect entirely  the  first.  It  has  been  well  pointed 
out  that  the  God  revealed  to  us  by  Christ  is  some- 
thing quite  different  from  the  gods  worshiped  by 
Greece  and  Rome  and  all  the  nations  of  antiquity, 
save  the  Jews.  The  gods  of  Greece  and  Rome 
did  not  give  men  their  highest  ideas  and  ideals 
of  character  and  right  conduct.  The  priests  of 
ancient  religions  were  not  the  leaders  of  nations 
in  what  was  highest  and  best,  but  there  were 
philosophers  with  higher  ideas  and  ideals  than 
those  given  them  by  their  gods. ' 

There  was  revealed  to  the  Jews  a  God  who 
could  command  the  devotion  of  the  heart  and 
soul  and  mind  of  men,  the  contemplation  of 
whose  attributes  could  not  fail  to  elevate  all  His 
worshipers.  This  was  a  God  who  loved  all  men, 

1  This  is  well  brought  out  in  Religion  in  History  and  in  Mod- 
ern Life,  by  Rev.  A.  M.  Fairbairn,  D.D.,  Principal  of  Mans- 
field College,  Oxford. 


30  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

and  therefore  hated  human  sacrifice  and  the  abom- 
ination of  the  heathen  nations  which  always 
meant  cruelty  to  men ;  a  God  whose  purpose  it 
was,  through  Israel,  to  bless  all  the  nations  of 
the  world.  Now,  this  true  God  was  revealed 
more  fully  to  men  through  Christ.  There  is  no 
break  between  the  revelation  of  Christ  and  that 
of  the  Old  Testament  in  this  respect,  but  the 
Gospel  of  Christ  was  a  further  unfolding  of  the 
earlier  revelation.  Christ  revealed  to  us  the 
fatherhood  of  God,  and  Max  Miiller  regards 
this  as  the  distinctive  peculiarity  of  Christianity. 

While  His  doctrine  of  the  ruler  of  the  universe 
was  the  basis  of  Christ's  entire  message,  yet  His 
point  of  view  is  given  pre-eminently  in  His  new 
view  of  man.  It  is,  in  fact,  this  new  view  of 
man  which  reflects  back  light  upon  His  revelation 
of  the  character  of  God.  How,  indeed,  other- 
wise can  we  understand  the  opening  words  of  the 
Lord's  Prayer,  "Our  Father?" 

Christ  taught  the  infinite  worth  of  every  hu- 
man individual,  and  our  endless  mutual  obliga- 
tions, so  that  after  we  have  done  our  utmost  for 
our  fellow-men  we  must  still  say  that  we  are 
unprofitable  servants.  The  distinctive  feature  of 
Christ's  teaching  from  the  human  standpoint  is 
the  exaltation  of  man,  carrying  with  it  universal 
benevolence  as  a  supreme  law  of  conduct.  Christ 
thus  furnishes  a  strange  contrast  to  all  who  ever 


Our  Point  of  View.  31 

went  before  Him,  and  became  literally  the  first 
philanthropist,  as  He  has  well  been  called  by  a 
distinguished  historian.1  These  words  sound 
strange  to  modern  ears  at  the  present  time  when 
we  have  become  so  accustomed  to  philanthropy, 
both  genuine  and  spurious.  We  find,  indeed, 
much  philanthropy  outside  the  visible  Church, 
and  there  are  those  who  deny  the  claims  of  Christ, 
and  yet  exercise  philanthropy,  unconscious  that 
their  ruling  motive  has  been  derived  from  the 
Leader  whom  they  misunderstand  and  deny. 
When  we  read  in  the  biography  of  a  man  in  a 
religious  paper  that,  although  he  was  a  philan- 
thropist, he  was  at  the  same  time  a  professed 
Christian  and  church  member,  we  may  think  that 
the  separation  between  organized  Christianity 
and  philanthropy  has  gone  far.  But  without 
philanthropy  there  never  would  have  been  a  Chris- 
tian Church,  and  without  Christ  we  would  have 
had  no  philanthropy. 

It  is  hard  to  grasp  the  fact  that  we  are  here 
dealing  with  literal,  historical  truth;  but  the 
author  has  to  say  that  the  more  he  thought 
about  this  subject,  the  more  he  has  read  about 
it,  the  more  he  has  looked  into  the  opinions  of 
various  authorities  who  have  given  attention  to 
it,  the  more  strongly  he  is  impressed  with  the 
fact  that  Christ  was  the  first  philanthropist.  We 

1  The  author  of  Ecce  Homo. 


32  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

hear  about  the  Stoics  and  about  Gotama  Buddha, 
and  we  are  told  that  in  them  we  find  a  philan- 
thropy like  that  of  Christ  ;  but  it  is  only  neces- 
sary to  look  more  carefully  into  their  teachings 
to  ascertain  that  we  have  to  do  with  something 
very  different,  as  we  shall  see  presently.  The 
author  of  Ecce  Homo  says  :  "  Though  there  was 
humanity  among  the  ancients,  there  was  no 
philanthropy.  In  other  words,  humanity  was 
known  to  them  as  an  occasional  impulse  and  not 
as  a  standing  rule  of  life.  A  case  of  distress 
made  painfully  manifest  and  prominent  would 
often  excite  compassion  ;  the  feeling  might  lead 
to  a  single  act  of  benevolence ;  but  it  had  not 
strength  enough  to  give  birth  to  reflection,  or  to 
develop  itself  into  a  compassion  for  other  persons 
equally  distressed,  whose  distresses  were  not 
equally  manifest.  Exceptional  sufferings  had, 
therefore,  a  chance  of  relief;  but  the  ordinary 
sufferings,  which  affected  whole  classes  of  men, 
excited  no  pity,  and  were  treated  as  a  part  of 
the  natural  order  of  things,  providential  dis- 
pensations which  it  might  even  be  impious  to 
endeavor  to  counteract."  If  space  were  suffi- 
cient, many  illustrations  could  be  given  to  show 
the  radical  difference  between  Christianity  on  its 
manward  side  and  the  teachings  of  other 
religions  and  of  ancient  philosophers;  but,  as  it 
is,  only  two  or  three  striking  contrasts  can  be 


Our  Point  of  View.  33 

adduced.  Let  us  take  Brahmanism,  which  has 
governed  for  centuries  the  life  of  millions  of 
human  beings :  In  contrast  to  the  brotherhood 
of  men  and  their  essential  equality  in  the  sight 
of  God,  the  Father  of  them  all,  we  have  the 
doctrine  that  one  class  of  men  comes  from  the 
mouth  of  God  and  are  forever  superior  to  all 
other  classes  of  men  from  whom  they  are 
separated  by  a  line  which  it  is  the  height  of 
impiety  to  cross.  The  Brahmans  are  raised  so 
high  above  other  men  that  a  man  who  strikes 
one  of  them  but  with  a  blade  of  grass  is  regarded 
as  worthy  the  condemnation  of  hell.  Now, 
below  the  Brahmans  there  is  another  class,  or 
caste,  created  from  the  arms  of  God  ;  below 
these  there  is  still  another  class  of  men  created 
from  the  thighs  of  God,  and  below  these  there  is 
still  a  class,  the  Sudras,  springing  from  the  feet 
of  God,  and  these  are  regarded  as  unworthy 
even  to  read  the  Brahman  scriptures.  But  even 
now  we  are  not  at  the  end,  because  below  this 
lowest  class  we  have  those  who  belong  to  no 
class — the  Pariahs,  veritable  outcasts.  Thus  we 
have  the  Indian  system  of  castes,  which  is  an 
essential  part  of  the  Indian  religion. 

The  nations  which  previous  to  Christ  attained 
the  highest  degree  of  civilization  were  the  Greeks 
and  the  Romans,  and  it  would  probably  be 
admitted  that  among  them  three  of  the  most 


34  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

enlightened  and,  at  the  same  time,  humane  men 
were — of  the  Greeks,  Plato  and  Aristotle,  and  of 
the  Romans,  the  orator  and  philosopher,  Cicero. 
Plato  is  so  far  from  regarding  all  men  as  em- 
braced in  one  universal  brotherhood,  that  he 
divides  them  into  classes,  separate  and  distinct 
in  very  nature.  We  find  in  Plato,  men  of  gold, 
men  of  silver,  men  of  brass,  and  men  of  clay ;  and 
the  lower  orders  subsist  for  the  gain  of  the 
higher  orders.  The  English  authority  on  Plato, 
Professor  Jowett,  states  that  in  Plato  we  find 
few  traces  of  even  humanity  to  slaves,1  and 
humanity,  as  we  have  seen,  occupies  a  far  lower 
rank  than  philanthropy.  Slavery  was  accepted 
and  defended  as  a  permanent  basis  of  civilization, 
and  so  far  was  Plato  from  the  universality  of 
Christ,  that  he  looked  upon  all  the  human  race, 
outside  the  Greeks,  as  naturally  slaves. 

Aristotle  was  in  theory  and  practice  a  man 
who  must  rank  high  among  the  ancients  on 
account  of  his  humanity,  yet,  in  speaking  of  men 
in  general,  he  says :  "  The  lower  sort  are  by 
nature  slaves,  and  it  is  better  for  them,  as  for  all 
inferiors,  that  they  should  be  under  the  rule  of 
a  master.  .  .  .  The  use  made  of  slaves,  or  of 
tame  animals,  is  not  very  different ;  for  both 

1  See  Jowett's  Translation  of  Plato,  vol.  5,  p.  xciv. 
Jowett  himself  says  that  Christ  first  "  taught  men  to  love  their 
enemies." — College  Sermons,  p.  165. 


Our  Point  of  View.  35 

with  their  bodies  minister  to  the  needs  of  life. 
It  is  clear,  then,  that  some  men  are  by  nature 
free,  and  others  slaves,  and  that  for  these  latter, 
slavery  is  both  expedient  and  right." 

Cicero,  the  ethical  philosopher,  asks  the  ques- 
tion, Who  would  not  slay  ten  slaves  of  whom  one 
had  been  guilty  of  murder,  rather  than  let  the 
guilty  one  escape?  It  seems  to  him  far  better 
that  nine  innocent  slaves  should  suffer  death 
than  that  the  guilty  one  should  escape. 

Need  we  bring  all  this  in  contrast  with  the 
whole  life  and  teachings  of  Christ  ?  Surely  all 
the  words  of  Christ,  and  the  whole  life  of  Christ 
from  beginning  to  end,  bring  us  into  a  different 
world  of  thought  and  feeling.  Christ  taught  us 
universal,  all-embracing  love,  and  so  far  was  He 
from  regarding  the  lower  orders  as  created  sim- 
ply to  subserve  the  gain  of  the  higher  orders, 
that  He  especially  enjoined  upon  the  higher  to 
use  their  superiority  to  elevate  the  lower  orders, 
even  those  most  wretched  and  degraded.  He, 
Himself,  set  the  example  in  the  lowly  office  of 
washing  the  feet  of  His  disciples,  and  told  them 
that  "  Whosoever  will  be  great  among  you, 
let  him  be  your  minister;  and  whosoever  will 
be  chief  among  you,  let  him  be  your  servant : 
even  as  the  Son  of  man  came  not  to  be  min- 
istered unto,  but  to  minister,  and  to  give  His 

1  Aristotle's  Politics,  translated  by  Jowett,  I,  c.  5,  §§  8-n. 


36  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

life  a  ransom  for  many."  '  Christ  habitually  asso- 
ciates with  the  poor  and  the  outcasts,  and  this 
is  something  so  strange  and  unusual  that  His 
contemporaries  cannot  grasp  the  principle  upon 
which  He  acted,  for  they  express  their  constant 
astonishment  and  also  their  condemnation.  It 
was  a  strange  leader  among  the  Jews  who  loved 
to  associate  with  publicans  and  sinners.  But 
notice  this:  When  John  the  Baptist  asked  for 
proofs  of  the  Messiahship  of  Christ,  those  which 
Jesus  offered  were  His  ministry  unto  weak  and 
feeble  folk.  We  all  remember  how  John,  when  in 
prison,  sent  two  of  his  disciples  to  Christ,  "  And 
said  unto  Him,  Art  thou  He  that  should  come, 
or  do  we  look  for  another?"  And  how  Jesus 
answered,  "  Go  and  show  John  again  those  things 
which  ye  do  hear  and  see  :  the  blind  receive  their 
sight,  and  the  lame  walk,  the  lepers  are  cleansed, 
and  the  deaf  hear,  the  dead  are  raised  up,  and 
the  poor  have  the  Gospel  preached  to  them."  2 

But  note  this,  further :  Christ  describes  the 
last  judgment  when  He  gathers  about  Him  all 
the  nations  of  the  earth,  separating  them  one 
from  another  like  a  shepherd  dividing  his  sheep 
from  his  goats.  But  what  is  the  test  ?  Ministry 
to  the  lowly,  to  the  abandoned,  to  the  outcast ; 
feeding  the  hungry,  giving  drink  to  the  thirsty, 
clothing  the  naked,  visiting  those  sick  and  those 
1  Matthew  xx,  26-28.  s  Matthew  xi,  2-5. 


Our  Point  of  View.  37 

in  prison.  Brahmanism  says:  "  He  who  strikes 
a  Brahman  with  a  blade  of  grass  is  worthy  of 
hell."  Christ  says  those  who  neglect  to  minister 
unto  the  lowest  of  the  needy  and  wretched  of 
earth  shall  be  cast  away  into  everlasting  punish- 
ment. 

But  we  must  consider  at  somewhat  greater 
length  Buddhism  and  Stoicism,  because  these 
two  are  held  to  have  the  strongest  claim  to  rank 
with  Christianity  with  respect  to  altruism. 

Buddhism  has  received  much  praise  lately,  and 
has  even  found  adherents  in  Christian  lands.  It 
is  claimed  that  Buddhism  inculcates  a  lofty  phi- 
lanthropy like  that  of  Christianity,  and  choice 
selections  from  the  sacred  writings  of  Buddhism 
give  a  show  of  color  for  this  assertion.  We  read, 
for  example,  that  toward  the  close  of  his  life, 
Siddartha  or  Gotama  Buddha,  the  founder  of 
Buddhism,  addressed  his  followers  in  these  words: 
"Beloved  mendicants,  if  you  revere  my  memory, 
love  all  the  disciples  as  you  love  me  and  my  doc- 
trines." Another  saying  of  Gotama  Buddha  is 
this :  "  As  even  at  the  risk  of  her  own  life  a 
mother  watches  over  her  child,  her  only  child, 
let  him  [that  is,  the  Buddhist  saint]  exercise  good 
will  without  measure  toward  all  beings."  Still 
another  saying  reminds  us  of  the  eulogy  of  love 
written  by  the  Apostle  Paul  in  the  thirteenth 
chapter  of  First  Corinthians:  "  If  a  man  live  a 


38  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

hundred  years  and  spend  the  whole  of  his  time 
in  religious  attentions  and  offerings,  ...  all  this 
is  not  equal  to  an  act  of  pure  love." 

Now  we  will  not  criticise  the  favorable  pres- 
entations of  Buddhism  which  have  recently  been 
made,  nor  will  we  attempt  at  present  to  show 
how  probable  it  is  that  the  glory  of  Christianity 
has  been  reflected  back  on  Buddhism,  making  it 
brilliant  with  a  brilliancy  not  its  own.  Let  us 
take  Buddhism  at  its  best  and  gratefully  acknowl- 
edge all  its  services,  its  sympathy  with  all  created 
things,  and  its  devotion  to  the  good  of  men  and 
animals,  and  ask  ourselves  the  question  :  Have 
we  in  Buddhism  a  real  and  genuine  philanthropy 
like  that  revealed  in  Christ? 

First :  The  end  of  Buddhism  is  escape  from 
the  pains  of  existence  in  Nirvana,  which,  if  it  be 
existence  at  all  and  not  annihilation — a  disputed 
point — is  an  existence  as  impersonal  as  that  of 
the  jellyfish  floating  on  a  quiet  sea  of  peace,  and 
"  drinking  in  the  warm  fluid  in  a  state  of  lazy, 
blissful  repose."  :  The  end  of  Christianity  is  life, 
more  life,  and  yet  ever  more  life,  spent  in  service. 

Second  :  The  altruism  of  Buddhism  is  largely 
based  on  a  desire  for  the  suppression  of  the  ego — 
of  self.  Self-assertion  means  desire,  and  desire 
brings  continued  existence  from  which  Buddhism 
seeks  relief.  The  suppression  of  self,  and  thus 

1  Sir  Monier  Williams's  Buddhism,  p.  141. 


Our  Point  of  View.  39 

the  cessation  of  the  possibility  of  service  to  others, 
is  its  ideal.  Christianity  means  the  suppression 
of  selfishness,  but  the  enlargement  of  self  in 
service. 

Third :  Buddhism  knows  no  personal  father- 
hood of  God.  The  God  of  Gotama  Buddha  was 
"  the  Unknowable,"  for  only  the  laws  of  nature 
could  be  known  in  obedience  to  which  Nirvana 
might  be  found.  Christianity  gives  us  the  father- 
hood of  God,  a  condition  of  genuine  brother- 
hood, and  brotherhood  is  the  basis  of  altruism. 
Buddhism  takes  away  the  very  foundation  of 
philanthropy. 

Fourth  :  Buddhism  is  essentially  a  philosophy 
of  individualism,  whereas  social  solidarity  is  an 
essential  part  of  Christianity.  In  Buddhism  each 
man  stands  alone.  Karma,  justice,  rules  all; 
everything  which  we  suffer  comes  to  us  from  a 
guilty  past  in  our  present  existence,  or  some  one 
of  innumerable  past  existences.  From  Karma  no 
one  can  release  us.  We  work  out  our  own  sal- 
vation in  self-culture,  self-abnegation,  self-cruci- 
fixion, and  cessation  of  rebirths  when  Nirvana  is 
reached.  Christianity  binds  men  together  in  sin 
and  in  salvation.  Heredity  and  environment  en- 
circle us  all  with  common  ties.  Christianity  in 
its  very  essence  is  a  social  religion.  Buddhism 
is  self-centered  ;  Christianity  directs  attention 
outward  to  others.  The  salvation  of  Buddhism 


40  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

is  a  purely  individual  salvation  ;  the  salvation  of 
Christ  is  a  social  salvation  as  well  as  an  individual 
salvation. 

Fifth  :  Buddhism  seeks  escape  from  this  world 
and  directs  conduct  to  this  end.  Its  rules  of 
action  are  preparation  for  future  nonexistence, 
or  at  best  semipersonal  existence.  At  any  rate, 
Buddhism  directs  attention  away  from  this  world  ; 
its  religion  is  "  otherworldliness."  Christianity 
teaches  eternal  life,  but  eternal  life  begun  now  in 
the  present  world  and  gained  in  a  right  use  of 
the  present  world.  "  If  you  would  live  with 
Christ  in  the  next  world,  you  must  live  like 
Christ  in  this  world."  This  otherworldliness  of 
Buddhism  weakens  essentially  its  philanthropy. 

We  cannot  dwell  long  on  Stoicism,  which,  like 
Buddhism,  we  are  considering  only  in  one  of  its 
aspects.  There  is  much  that  is  grand  and  noble 
in  it,  and  for  this  we  are  grateful.  There  is  no 
reason  why  we  should  hesitate  to  give  it  its  full 
share  of  praise.  Christianity  is  not  contrary  to 
the  best  in  other  religious  beliefs  and  in  other 
philosophical  systems,  but  it  is  simply  superior 
to  all  others.  It  is  an  unfolding  as  well  as  a 
revelation.  What  is  highest  and  purest  outside 
of  Christianity  but  strengthens  Christianity.  The 
three  Stoics  most  quoted  are  Seneca,  a  contem- 
porary of  the  Apostle  Paul,  and  Epictetus  and 

1  Charles  Kingsley. 


Our  Point  of  View.  41 

Marcus  Aurelius,  of  the  second  century  of  our 
era.  It  seems  to  the  present  writer  not  im- 
probable that  sayings  of  Christ  and  His  apostles 
and  something  of  the  spirit  of  Christianity  may 
have  reached  these  Stoics.  He  is  aware  of  the 
grounds  urged  against  this  view,  but  does  not 
regard  them  as  sufficient.  However,  this  is  a 
minor  matter. 

First  of  all,  Stoicism  was  a  philosophy  for  a 
select  few  and  Christianity  a  life  for  all.  The 
fact  that  no  effort  was  made  to  extend  to  all  men 
the  benefits  of  the  Stoic  philosophy  shows  that 
the  loftiest  of  the  Stoics  were  not  animated  by 
the  philanthropy  of  Christ.  Second  :  The  father- 
hood of  God  was  not  an  essential  part  of  the 
Stoic  philosophy.  God  was  nature,  a  great 
Power  to  be  obeyed,  obeyed  cheerfully,  but  a 
Power  not  to  be  moved  by  human  wants,  desires, 
and  petitions.  If  an  idea  of  a  closer  relation 
than  a  cold  one  to  nature  is  discovered  among 
the  Stoics,  this  idea  is  neither  habitual  nor  vital. 
Third :  The  brotherhood  of  man  as  taught  is  weak. 
We  are  children  of  Zeus,  the  father  of  us  all,  it  is 
said  ;  but  does  this  mean  more  than  that  we  are 
all  products  of  great  natural  forces  ?  We  are  all 
partakers  in  common  reason.  We  should  regard 
all  men  as  fellow-citizens  of  our  world  and  ab- 
stain from  unkindness.  The  benevolence  toward 
all  men  of  the  Stoics  was  chiefly  negative.  A 


42  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

doctrine  like  the  Christian  doctrine  of  sins  of 
omission  in  our  relations  to  our  fellows  is  some- 
thing which  cannot  be  found  in  Stoicism.  "  In- 
asmuch as  ye  did  it  not,"  Christ  said,  but  phi- 
lanthropy of  this  kind  was  something  that  not 
even  Marcus  Aurelius  taught.  Fourth  :  Stoicism 
was  cold,  impassive,  self-centered.  Its  ideal  was 
in  some  respects  like  that  of  Buddhism.  Self- 
centered  superiority  to  the  passions  of  life,  pas- 
sive acceptance  of  the  allotments  of  a  Superior 
Power,  an  unruffled  temper  in  time  of  prosperity 
and  time  of  adversity — these  were  ideals,  and  their 
attainment  was  an  individual  work.  The  Stoic 
was,  too,  an  individualist.  Yet  not  always  did  the 
Stoic  counsel  passive  acceptance,  because  when 
life  offered  nothing  and  duties  to  friends  did  not 
hold  one  back,  suicide  was  a  wise  act.  As  has 
been  well  said,  Stoicism,  like  the  philosophy  of 
many  Oriental  nations,  was  barely  above  the 
suicide  mark.  Shall  we  then  be  led  away  by 
comparisons  of  this  cold  philosophy  with  the 
life-giving  power  of  Christianity,  Christianity 
which  means  fullness  of  life  for  self  and  for 
others? 

A  college-bred  woman,  a  friend  of  the  author, 
gives  in  the  following  words  her  own  experience 
in  an  attempt  to  find  a  refuge  in  Stoicism : 

"  Originally  I  had  derived  a  great  deal  of  hap- 
piness from  the  commonplaces  of  everyday  life, 


Our  Point  of  View.  43 

but  the  continued  ill  health  of  those  with  whom 
I  was  associated  baffled  all  plans  for  the  future 
and  present. 

"  The  problem  was  how  to  live  and  meet  suc- 
cessfully the  disappointments  that  the  future  was 
certain  to  bring,  with  no  possible  hope  of  phys- 
ical recovery  for  the  one  dearest  to  me  and  all 
that  that  entailed. 

"The  only  sane  conduct  for  me  seemed  to  be 
to  keep  myself  steeled  against  delusive  hopes 
and  nerved  up  to  meet  every  possible  disappoint- 
ment. 

"For  two  years  I  tried  most  conscientiously 
to  be  a  Stoic,  holding  myself  self-poised  to  meet 
every  emergency.  There  is  no  doubt  that  I 
gained  greatly  in  self-control ;  but  the  range  of 
my  life  became  so  restricted  as  to  become  finally 
unbearable. 

"  This  was  the  result  that  might  have  been 
foreseen,  but  I  failed  to  see  it. 

"  If  it  was  the  greatest  virtue  to  be  self-con- 
tained and  self-controlled,  then  it  was  as  great  a 
virtue  for  others  to  be  self-contained ;  reliance 
on  self  was  as  salutary  for  others  as  for  me,  and 
the  altruistic  attempt  to  benefit  others  might  not 
help — indeed,  it  might  hinder — their  progress  to- 
ward self-dependence.  There  was  not  the  demand 
or  occasion  for  personal  contact  and  helpfulness 
that  there  was  before.  My  interests  became 


44  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

more  circumscribed  and  self-centered ;  the  in- 
tense individualism  of  the  Stoic  ideal  steadily 
undermined  my  interests  in  others,  until  my  life 
became  so  intolerably  narrow  to  me  that  in  self- 
defense  I  was  compelled  to  discard  altogether 
the  Stoic  ideal  of  life. 

"  I  had  learned  self-dependence,  but  with  it 
my  life  had  become  pauperized." 

Anything  so  fundamental  as  our  religious  con- 
victions must  find  expression  in  all  our  activities, 
and  the  absence  of  the  Christ-view,  exalting 
man,  is  discerned  in  the  art,  literature,  and  cus- 
toms of  all  heathen  lands.  Bishop  Westcott, 
with  his  deep  insight,  observes  that  in  the  "  mar- 
velous products  of  Indian  industries  at  Kensing- 
ton .  .  .  you  will  search  in  vain,  I  think,  in  all 
that  multitudinous  display  of  ornament,  rich  in 
exquisite  harmonies  of  colors  and  in  delicacy  of 
patient  skill,  for  one  trace  of  reverence  for  man. 
Every  human  form  .  .  .  there  .  .  .  is  either  gro- 
tesque or  hideous."  ' 

If,  with  this  point  of  view  in  mind,  which  our 
comparisons  have  brought  out,  we  read  the  entire 
New  Testament,  we  shall  see  many  things  which 
have  escaped  our  attention  heretofore.  We  shall 
find  that  God's  commands  to  man  are  not  arbi- 
trary, but  that  they  have  their  ground  in  the 
welfare  of  man.  This  is  plainly  stated  over  and 

1  Bishop  13.  F.  Westcott,  Social  Aspects  of  Christianity,  p  59. 


Our  Point  of  View.  45 

over  again.  There  is  an  inclination  on  the  part 
of  many  to  make  a  distinction  between  things 
wrong  in  themselves,  and  things  which  somehow 
are  wrong,  but  are  not  wrong  in  themselves. 
Among  those  wrongs  of  a  lesser  order  it  will  be 
found  that  men  place  those  acts  which  bear  hardly 
on  others  ;  those  things  which  grieve  and  injure 
others.  But  we  are  taught  plainly  by  Christian- 
ity that  the  purpose  of  the  most  fundamental 
laws  is  the  welfare  of  men,  and  in  the  promotion 
of  this  welfare  we  find  the  unity  of  all  those  laws 
which  regulate  our  social  conduct. 

Why  should  we  not  steal  ?  The  answer  will 
probably  be  because  God  has  commanded  us  to 
abstain  from  theft ;  but  St.  Paul  does  not  hesi- 
tate to  give  us  a  human  reason  :  "  Let  him  that 
stole,"  says  the  apostle,  "  steal  no  more ;  but 
rather  let  him  labor,  working  with  his  hands  the 
thing  which  is  good,  that  he  may  have  to  give 
to  him  that  needeth."  '  What  does  this  mean  ? 
It  signifies  that  the  thief  engages  in  conduct 
which  is  socially  negative ;  he  destroys  wealth  ; 
instead  of  contributing  to  others,  he  takes  from 
others.  He  is  enjoined  to  cease  this  negative 
line  of  conduct,  and  to  engage  in  positive,  con- 
structive work.  And  for  what  purpose  ?  In 
order  that  as  a  result  of  his  work  he  may  have  to 
give  to  him  that  needeth. 

1  Ephesians  iv,  28. 


46  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

Why  should  we  speak  the  truth  ?  St.  Paul 
says,  because  "we  are  members  one  of  another."  ' 
As  it  is  put  by  another,2  "  untruthfulness  is  an 
offense  against  our  fellowship  in  Christ." 

But  how  this  point  of  view  throws  light  on 
many  other  injunctions  which  have  proved  a 
stumbling-block!  Why  should  women  adorn 
themselves  in  "modest  apparel,"  with  "shame- 
facedness  and  sobriety ;  "  not  with  "  braided  hair, 
or  gold,  or  pearls,  or  costly  array?"  When  an 
answer  is  given  which  implies  asceticism,  it  pro- 
vokes a  rebellious  feeling.  Why  should  not  we 
enjoy  all  these  good  things  of  the  world?  When 
this  sort  of  an  answer  is  given  it  is  seen  to  be  in 
clear  contradiction  of  the  general  tenor  of  Christ's 
teachings.  But  the  apostle  did  not  stop  at  this 
point  ;  he  added  an  explanation  for  his  com- 
mand, telling  us  plainly  that  it  was  becoming  in 
women,  professing  godliness,  to  adorn  themselves 
with  good  works.*  The  other  kind  of  adorn- 
ment did  two  things  contrary  to  the  law  of  love: 
First,  it  turned  attention  away  from  one's 
fellows,  from  social  duties — and  can  we  not  see 
this  to-day  all  about  us? — and,  furthermore,  it 
consumed  that  substance  which  could  be  used  to 
minister  to  the  needy. 

Our  point  of  view  gives  us  a  guide  for  individ- 

1  Ephesians  iv,  25.  2  Bishop  B.  F.  Westcott. 

3 1  Timothy  ii,  8-10. 


Our  Point  of  View.  47 

ual  reform  and  social  reconstruction.  It  puts 
new  meaning  into  what  St.  Paul  tells :  "And  if  I 
bestow  all  my  goods  to  feed  the  poor,  and  if  I 
give  my  body  to  be  burned,  but  have  not  love, 
it  profiteth  me  nothing."1  In  fact,  it  profiteth 
nobody  anything.  It  does  no  good  to  the  world. 
Giving  without  love  has  so  degenerated  that  the 
very  word  "  charity  "  has  become  an  offense,  and 
men  ask  if  benevolence  has  not  done  more  harm 
than  good.  Giving  may  have  done  more  harm 
than  good ;  not  benevolence.  Love  makes 
fruitful  giving  possible.  That  is,  perhaps,  the 
one  great  lesson  of  Tolstoi's  What  to  Do.  But 
love  bridges  over  the  chasm  between  human 
souls,  and  makes  it — if  more  blessed  to  give  than 
to  receive — still  a  blessing  to  receive,  for  under 
the  law  of  love,  both  giving  and  receiving  are 
directed  by  a  wisdom  born  of  loving  thought  and 
care.  This  is  the  lesson  which  we  must  learn 
over  and  over  again,  coming  back  continually  to 
the  point  of  view  of  Christ. 

1 1  Corinthians,  xiii,  3. 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE  RELATIONS  OF  THE  OLD  AND 
THE  NEW  TESTAMENTS  SO- 
CIALLY CONSIDERED. 


"  MORE  than  once  did  the  Hebrew  kings  seek  to  break  away 
from  the  intermeddling  of  the  clergy  ;  but  God  smote  the  poli- 
tician and  not  the  prophet.  .  .  .  Saul  meddled  with  Samuel's 
duties,  and  God  took  his  kingdom  from  him.  But  Samuel  was 
never  censured  for  his  intermeddling  with  the  affairs  of  Saul. 
David  had  to  submit  to  the  authority  of  more  than  one  priest. 
No  priest  was  ever  compelled  to  silence  before  him.  Isaiah, 
Ezekiel,  Jeremiah,  Hosea,  Amos,  all  the  preachers  of  righteous- 
ness dwelt  on  social  and  civil  sins.  They  dwelt  on  hardly 
anything  else." — Bishop  G.  Haven,  National  Sermons. 

"  The  great  idea  that  the  Bible  is  the  history  of  mankind's 
deliverance  from  all  tyranny,  outward  as  well  as  inward  ;  of  the 
Jews,  as  the  one  free  constitutional  people  among  a  world  of 
slaves  and  tyrants  ;  of  their  ruin,  as  the  righteous  fruit  of  a 
voluntary  return  to  despotism ;  of  the  New  Testament,  as  the 
good  news  that  freedom,  brotherhood,  and  equality,  once  con- 
fided only  to  Jud3ea  and  to  Greece,  and  dimly  seen  even  there, 
was  henceforth  to  be  the  right  of  all  mankind,  the  law  of  all 
society — who  was  there  to  tell  me  that  ?  Who  is  there  now  to 
go  forth  and  tell  it  to  the  millions  who  have  suffered  and 
doubted  and  despaired  like  me,  and  turn  the  hearts  of  the 
disobedient  to  the  wisdom  of  the  just,  before  the  great  and 
terrible  day  of  the  Lord  come  ?  Again  I  ask — who  will  go 
forth  and  preach  that  Gospel,  and  save  his  native  land  ? " 
— Charles  Kingsley,  Alton  Locke,  p.  323. 


The  Old  and  New  Testaments.  51 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE      RELATIONS      OF       THE       OLD       AND      THE      NEW 
TESTAMENTS    SOCIALLY    CONSIDERED. 

ONE  of  the  marked  features  of  Biblical  study 
at  the  present  time  is  the  increased  atten- 
tion given  to  the  Old  Testament.  This  is  most 
fortunate,  for  the  New  Testament  cannot  be 
understood  except  as  a  growth  out  of  the  Old. 
The  social  teachings,  however,  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment have  not  as  yet  by  anyone  been  brought 
into  sufficiently  close  connection  with  the  social 
law  of  the  Hebrews,  and  consequently  those 
teachings  are  only  inadequately  grasped,  even 
when  not  fully  misinterpreted.  The  cry  has 
been  raised,  "Back  to  Christ,"  but  to  go  back 
to  the  real  teachings  of  Christ  we  must  go  back 
to  the  Old  Testament.1 

It  cannot  be  our  purpose  in  this  little  book  to 
treat  this  subject  exhaustively,  for  that  would 
require  vast  study  and  a  large  work.  Certain 
suggestions,  however,  may  be  thrown  out  which 

1  Some  say  the  rallying  cry  should  be,  "  Forward  to  Christ." 
This  is  equally  true,  but  it  is,  after  all,  expressing  the  same 
idea,  only  in  other  words. 


52  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

will  prove   helpful   as   a  guide  to  thought  and 
study. 

The  purpose  of  all  the  laws  and  regulations 
of  both  the  Old  and  the  New  Testaments  is 
undoubtedly  the  glory  of  God  and  the  welfare 
of  man  in  society ;  or,  more  simply,  the  welfare 
of  society.  But  the  Bible  teaches  us  more  and 
more  clearly,  as  we  proceed  in  Biblical  history, 
that  the  glory  of  God  means  the  welfare  of 
society.  We  can  do  nothing  for  God,  Himself, 
whose  are  all  the  riches  of  the  earth  ;  "  the  cattle 
on  a  thousand  hills,"  as  the  Psalmist  sings  ;  but 
we  can  do  something  for  his  creatures,  and  all 
divine  institutions  have  a  social  purpose. 

If  we  take  up  the  Old  Testament  and  read  it, 
we  find  that  we  have  in  it  the  history  of  Israel. 
In  this  history  we  have  laws  and  regulations  for 
the  upbuilding  of  a  national  morality,  but  with 
glimpses  of  something  larger.  The  promise  was 
to  Abraham  that  in  him  all  the  nations  of  the 
earth  should  be  blessed  ;'  and  this  larger  view 
was  something  which  was  never  entirely  lost 
from  the  consciousness  of  the  wisest  and  best  in 
the  nation. 

The  religion  of  the  Jews  was  designed  for  the 
welfare  of  society,  furnishing  a  sanction  for  social 
conduct  in  the  individual.  Of  this  the  greatest 
and  best  in  Israel  had  a  keen  consciousness. 

1  Genesis  xvii,  18. 


The  Old  and  New  Testaments.  53 

The  nation  and  the  glories  of  the  nation  filled 
the  minds  and  hearts  of  those  Israelites  in  whom 
God  was  represented  as  specially  well  pleased. 
And  reference  is  always  had  to  provision  made 
for  the  weak  and  the  feeble.  This  is  the  pecul- 
iar glory  of  Israel,  making  Israel  stand  out  in 
bold  relief  from  the  other  nations  of  antiquity. 
This  is  the  meaning  of  the  land  laws,  of  the 
usury  laws,  of  the  regulations  of  the  year  of 
Jubilee  and  other  laws  of  this  kind:  "And 
when  ye  reap  the  harvest  of  your  land,  thou 
shalt  not  make  clean  riddance  of  the  corners  of 
thy  field  when  thou  reapest,  neither  shalt  thou 
gather  any  gleaning  of  thy  harvest :  thou  shalt 
leave  them  unto  the  poor,  and  to  the  stranger."1 
David  said :  "  I  have  been  young,  and  now  am 
old ;  yet  have  I  not  seen  the  righteous  forsaken, 
nor  his  seed  begging  bread."  This  was  a 
natural  outcome  of  the  law  of  Israel,  and  must 
always  be  the  case  when  righteous  social  laws 
prevail.  It  was  all  this  which  made  the  law  of 
Israel  a  delight  in  which  one  could  "  meditate 
day  and  night ;"  a  fortress,  a  bulwark,  a  protec- 
tion against  every  vicissitude  of  fortune.  Think 
what  this  means !  Does  anyone  ever  sing  the 
praises  in  these  tones  of  a  modern  code  ? 

And  when   the  law  ceased  to  carry  out  the 
divine  purposes,  God's  wrath  is  kindled  and  His 
'Leviticus  xxiii,  22. 


54  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

prophets  proclaim  His  anger  in  thunder  tones: 
"  Rise  up,  ye  women  that  are  at  ease.  .  .  . 
Many  days  and  years  shall  ye  be  troubled,  ye 
careless  women :  .  .  .  Upon  the  land  of  my 
people  shall  come  up  thorns  and  briers.  .  .  . 
The  palaces  shall  be  forsaken ;  the  multitude  of 
the  city  shall  be  left ;  the  forts  and  towers  shall 
be  for  dens  forever,  a  joy  of  wild  asses,  a  pasture 
of  flocks  ;  until  the  Spirit  be  poured  upon  us 
from  on  high,  and  the  wilderness  be  a  fruitful 
field,  and  the  fruitful  field  be  counted  for  a 
forest. 

"  Then  judgment  shall  dwell  in  the  wilderness, 
and  righteousness  remain  in  the  fruitful  field. 
And  the  work  of  righteousness  shall  be  peace  ; 
and  the  effect  of  righteousness,  quietness  and 
assurance  forever." 

Still  clearer  are  verses  from  another  chapter, 
namely,  chapter  v :  "And  now  go  to ;  I  will  tell 
you  what  I  will  do  to  my  vineyard  :  I  will  take 
away  the  hedge  thereof,  and  it  shall  be  eaten  up  ; 
and  break  down  the  wall  thereof,  and  it  shall  be 
trodden  down : 

"And  I  will  lay  it  waste  :  it  shall  not  be  pruned, 
nor  digged ;  but  there  shall  come  up  briers  and 
thorns :  I  will  also  command  the  clouds  that 
they  rain  no  rain  upon  it. 

"  For  the  vineyard  of  the  Lord  of  hosts  is  the 

1  Isaiah  xxxii,  9-17. 


The  Old  and  New  Testaments.  55 

house  of  Israel,  and  the  men  of  Judah  his  pleas- 
ant plant :  and  he  looked  for  judgment,  but  be- 
hold oppression ;  for  righteousness,  but  behold 
a  cry. 

"  Woe  unto  them  that  join  house  to  house, 
that  lay  field  to  field,  till  there  be  no  place,  that 
they  may  be  placed  alone  in  the  midst  of  the 
earth ! 

"  In  mine  ears  said  the  Lord  of  hosts,  Of  a 
truth  many  houses  shall  be  desolate,  even  great 
and  fair,  without  inhabitant."  ' 

Turning  to  Jeremiah,  chapter  v,  we  have  the 
heading,  "Judgments  upon  the  Jews."5  The 
chapter  opens  with  these  words  :  "  Run  ye  to  and 
fro  through  the  streets  of  Jerusalem,  and  see  now, 
and  know,  and  seek  in  the  broad  places  thereof, 
if  ye  can  find  a  man,  if  there  be  any  that  ex- 
ecuteth  judgment,  that  seeketh  the  truth;  and 
I  will  pardon  it." 

Then  we  have  specifications,  as  idolatry  and 
adultery,  then  denunciations  and  warnings ;  then 
in  verses  25-29  we  find  these  words: 

"Your  iniquities  have  turned  away  these  things, 
and  your  sins  have  withholden  good  things  from 
you. 

"  For  among  my  people  are  found  wicked  men : 
they  lay  wait,  as  he  that  setteth  snares ;  they  set 
a  trap,  they  catch  men. 

1  Isaiah  v,  5-9.  *  Chapter  v,  i,  and  25-29. 


56  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

"  As  a  cage  is  full  of  birds,  so  are  their  houses 
full  of  deceit :  therefore  they  are  become  great, 
and  waxen  rich. 

"  They  are  waxen  fat,  they  shine :  yea,  they 
overpass  the  deeds  of  the  wicked:  they  judge 
not  the  cause,  the  cause  of  the  fatherless,  yet 
they  prosper  ;  and  the  right  of  the  needy  do  they 
not  judge. 

"  Shall  I  not  visit  for  these  things  ?  saith  the 
Lord  :  shall  not  my  soul  be  avenged  on  such  a 
nation  as  this?" 

We  cannot  understand  the  separation  of  the 
Jews  from  other  nations,  and  the  strong  con- 
demnation of  the  practices  of  these  other  na- 
tions, unless  we  know  at  the  same  time  what 
those  practices  carried  with  them.  We  do  not 
for  a  moment  deny  that  God  wished  for  Himself 
the  services  of  Israel.  It  is  repeatedly  declared 
that  God  is  a  jealous  God.  But  warnings  against 
idolatry  have  also  a  social  significance  which  is 
brought  out  clearly  when  it  is  ascertained  what 
the  worship  of  false  gods  carried  with  it.  The 
abominations  of  all  sorts  which  are  condemned, 
embraced  immorality  of  every  kind,  often  a  very 
part  of  the  worship  of  the  false  gods;  cruelties 
of  every  description,  including  even  human  sac- 
rifice. 

The  office  of  the  Jews  was  to  establish  right 
relations  among  themselves,  first  for  themselves, 


The  Old  and  New  Testaments.  57 

then  for  others.  The  nation  is  God's  instrument 
for  the  establishment  of  universal  righteousness. 
"  In  many  epochs  of  the  world,  nationalism  is 
often  the  truest  universalism."  '  This  is  not  the 
place  to  enter  into  an  exhaustive  discussion  of 
the  treatment  which  the  heathen  nations  received 
at  the  hands  of  the  Jews,  yet  a  few  thoughts  in 
the  present  connection  may  prove  helpful.  The 
Jewish  nation  conceived  it  to  be  its  mission  to 
punish  and  exterminate  utterly  certain  corrupt 
and  depraved  tribes.  First,  let  us  remember 
that  in  all  ages  the  nation  has  control  over  life 
and  death,  and  that  that  is  righteous  in  the  na- 
tion which  is  criminal  in  the  individual.  This 
holds  with  respect  to  property  as  well  as  person. 
This  is  recognized  by  religious  teachers  of  all 
ages,  as  well  as  the  greatest  political  philosophers 
who  have  ever  lived.  The  nation  is  an  instru- 
ment in  carrying  out  God's  plans,  and  it  need 
not  excite  astonishment  if  the  mission  is  given  to 
the  Jews  to  exterminate  utterly  debased  and  de- 
praved nations,  whose  degradation  has  proceeded 
so  far  that  their  condition  is  a  hopeless  one.  It 
it  said,  to  be  sure,  that  the  innocent  suffer  with 
the  guilty.  That  must  always  be  so  in  this  world. 

1  Rev.  W.  H.  Fremantle,  D.D.,  The  World  as  the  Subject  of 
Redemption,  second  edition,  p.  76.  It  can  scarcely  be  necessary 
to  remark  that  universalism  here  means  much  the  same  thing 
as  cosmopolitanism. 


58  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

It  is  a  part  of  the  social  solidarity  which  is  one 
of  the  profoundest  laws  of  the  world,  and  brings 
before  us  a  truth  of  science,  of  history,  and  of 
religion,  namely,  that  there  is  no  such  thing  as  a 
purely  individual  sin.1 

The  difficulties  which  so  many  persons  have 
with  the  Old  Testament,  in  so  far  as  these  dif- 
ficulties pertain  to  the  relations  between  the 
Jews  and  other  nations,  are  largely  due  to  a  one- 
sided religion.  We  have  of  late  been  led  by  an 
extreme  reaction  against  neglect  of  the  individ- 
ual in  Church  and  State  to  lose  any  keen  con- 
sciousness of  what  Church  and  State  mean.  We 
have  to  do  in  the  Old  Testament  with  God's 
dealings  with  nations  rather  than  individuals  who 
were  reached  through  the  nation.  But  if  our 
teachers  no  longer  know  what  the  nation  means, 
if  they  have  no  idea  of  the  part  which  in 
past  history  the  nation  has  played  in  the  work 
of  God  in  the  world,  if  they  do  not  perceive  that 
God  is  still  working  through  the  nation  in  the 
redemption  of  the  world,  if  they  have  no  sense 
of  the  gradual  unfolding  of  God's  purpose  and 
of  the  growth  of  righteousness  in  the  world  such 
as  is  indicated  by  Christ's  words,  "  first  the  blade, 
then  the  ear,  after  that  the  full  corn  in  the  ear ;" 

1  Those  who  are  interested  in  the  study  of  this  point  are  re- 
ferred to  two  great  works  by  Professor  von  Oettingen,  Die  Moral- 
statistik,  and  Die  Christliche  Sittenlehre. 


The  Old  and  New  Testaments.  59 

then  how  can  we  wonder  if  in  their  flocks  there 
are  many  who  are  distressed  and  troubled  by 
that  which  cannot  be  understood  by  those  who 
look  upon  each  individual  as  a  disconnected  atom 
and  not  as  one  of  a  family,  a  member  of  a  nation, 
and  a  part  of  humanity? 

One  or  two  further  suggestions  may  be  offered. 
There  have  been  wars  in  the  past  in  all  lands, 
and  wars  still  continue.  Much  as  these  are  to 
be  deplored,  earnestly  as  we  may  strive  for  the 
abolition  of  war,  we  must  acknowledge  that 
through  war  as  well  as  peace  human  progress 
has  been  achieved.  Every  historian  asserts  this. 
Can  we  then  fail  to  say  that  in  ourworld, composed 
of  weak,  ignorant,  sinful  men,  wars  have  been  a 
part  of  God's  plans  for  mankind  ?  If  we  have 
any  knowledge  of  the  general  conditions  of  the 
world  at  the  time  when  the  Jewish  nation  made 
war  upon  foreign  tribes  and  nations,  we  know 
that  they  were  not  ripe  for  the  message  of  inter- 
national peace.  Moreover,  we  are  plainly  taught 
that  God's  messages  were  adapted  to  their  con- 
dition. As  Christ  said,  Moses  suffered  certain 
things  because  of  the  hardness  of  their  hearts. 
Consequently  war  and  conquest  were  not  forbid- 
den, but  an  effort  was  made  to  render  war  far 
more  humane  than  it  was  among  the  oriental 
nations,  and  what  was  commanded  the  Jews  in 
this  respect  was  a  marvelous  advance  on  what 


60  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

had  been  and  still  was  customary.  Limits  were 
set  to  cupidity  as  a  motive  of  conquest  in  the 
command  not  to  take  the  silver  and  gold  on  the 
graven  images,1  and  a  more  considerate  treat- 
ment of  foreigners  living  among  them  in  a  state 
of  bondage  was  urged,  than  was  taught  by  the 
most  enlightened  of  the  Greeks  and  Romans  be- 
fore the  time  of  Christ. 

Even  while  we  second  with  all  our  might  ef- 
forts to  establish  peace  among  nations.,  it  would 
be  rash  in  the  extreme  to  say  that  war  has  now 
accomplished  its  purpose  while  oriental  barbar- 
ities such  as  have  recently  been  witnessed  in 
Armenia  still  continue.  And  what,  indeed,  has 
maintained  the  power  of  Turkey  in  this  century? 
Is  it  the  gentleness  and  love  of  the  Christian 
nations  of  Europe?  Quite  to  the  contrary.  The 
fear  of  rival  nations  in  commercial  competition  ; 
in  other  words,  the  lust  of  gold  has  been  a  po- 
tent factor  in  bolstering  up  the  iniquity  of  the 
Turk.  And  will  Christians  lament  the  fact  if  in 
the  fullness  of  time,  in  bloody  war,  the  power  of 
Turkey  is  annihilated  and  ceases  to  curse  the 
earth  ?  Yet  Turkey  is  far  more  enlightened,  far 
more  humane  in  her  ordinary  transactions,  in  her 
usual  civic  life,  than  the  depraved  nations  who, 

1  Deuteronomy  vii,  25.  Compare  the  sermon,  "  The  Nation 
and  the  Church,"  by  Frederick  Denison  Maurice,  in  The  Patri- 
archs and  Lawgivers  of  the  Old  Testament. 


The  Old  and  New  Testaments.  61 

after  they  had  made  full  the  cup  of  their  iniq- 
uities, were  destroyed  by  the  Jews. 

The  sacrifices  and  entire  worship  of  the  Jews 
were  national  as  well  as  individual.  No  one 
could  set  up  a  church  or  a  religious  establishment 
for  himself.  The  ordinance  of  circumcision,  which 
was  compulsory,  was  designed,  among  other 
things,  at  any  rate,  to  indicate  national  solidarity 
in  all  its  phases,  religious  and  ethical. 

The  New  Testament  is  a  continuation  of  the 
old  dispensation,  but  with  certain  marked  differ- 
ences. The  social  law  of  the  Old  Testament, 
which  was  designed  to  establish  right  relations 
among  the  Hebrews,  we  distinguish  from  the 
ceremonial  law.  The  New  Testament  did  two 
things  with  respect  to  that  social  law  of  the  Old 
Testament  which  was  designed  to  establish  right 
relations  among  men.  First  of  all,  it  univer- 
salized this  social  law;  a  national  morality  was 
no  longer  sufficient ;  the  idea  of  ethical  obliga- 
tion, it  has  been  said,  is  conterminous  with  the 
idea  of  society.  Heretofore  society  was  exclu- 
sively national,  and  morality  was  essentially  na- 
tional. Christianity  replaces  the  national  society 
with  a  world-wide  society  and  makes  morality 
universal.  Our  duty  is  no  longer  to  those  of 
our  own  house,  or  even  of  our  own  nation,  but 
it  is  to  all  the  world. 

Christian  thought  has  so  permeated  our  life 


62  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

that  it  is  hard  for  us  to  understand  how  difficult 
it  was  for  a  Jew  to  comprehend  this  idea  of  a 
universal  society  ;  yet,  in  passing,  we  may  observe 
that  it  was  easier  for  a  Jew  than  it  would  have 
been  for  a  Greek. 

It  was  necessary  for  Christ  and  His  apostles 
to  come  back,  again  and  again,  to  this  idea  of 
universal  society  and  the  corresponding  extension 
of  ethical  obligation,  and  approach  the  same  sub- 
ject from  every  standpoint ;  and  even  then  the 
idea  was  only  slowly  grasped.  It  was  one  which 
had  gradual  growth  among  the  immediate  dis- 
ciples of  Christ;  one  which  was  resisted  stren- 
uously by  the  new  adherents  of  these  disciples 
among  the  Jews,  and  one  which  awakened  in- 
tensest  anger  on  the  part  of  the  Jews  in  general. 

Christ  illustrates  the  universality  of  human 
relations  and  brotherhood  in  the  parable  of  the 
Good  Samaritan.  "Who  is  my  neighbor?" 
The  answer  is  given,  Everyone  who  needs  my 
help.  Moreover,  it  is  a  condition  of  salvation 
that  I  should  render  help  to  the  needy  one.  Be- 
fore His  crucifixion,  Christ  said,  "  I  will  draw  all 
men  unto  Me."  After  His  resurrection  He  gave 
commandment  to  His  disciples,  "  Go  ye,  there- 
fore, and  teach  all  nations." 

The  teachings  and  deeds  of  the  twelve  apos- 
tles, as  recorded  in  the  New  Testament,  show 
how  gradually  this  truth  was  received.  It  re- 


The  Old  and  New  Testaments.  63 

quired  a  vision  to  persuade  Peter  to  enter  the 
house  of  Cornelius,  "  one  of  another  nation." 
At  last,  the  universal  nature  of  Christ's  religion 
seemed  to  dawn  upon  Peter,  and  he  said,  "  Of  a 
truth  I  perceive  that  God  is  no  respecter  of  per- 
sons: but  in  every  nation  he  that  feareth  Him, 
and  worketh  righteousness,  is  accepted  with 
Him."1 

The  Jews  were  astonished  when  they  found 
that  on  the  Gentiles  was  poured  out  the  gift  of 
the  Holy  Ghost.  The  Apostle  Paul  was  able  to 
obtain  a  hearing  when,  from  the  stairs  of  the 
castle,  he  made  his  great  speech  to  the  Jews  in 
Jerusalem,  until  he  announced  the  message  which 
had  come  unto  him  to  go  unto  the  Gentiles,  and 
then  they  "  lifted  up  their  voices,  and  said,  Away 
with  such  a  fellow  from  the  earth :  for  it  is  not 
fit  that  he  should  live."2 

Now,  the  second  thing  which  Christ  did  for 
the  social  law  establishing  right  relations  among 
men,  was  to  intensify  and  elevate  it.  If  we  speak 
of  the  Christian  revelation  in  the  first  respect  as 
the  "  extension  "  of  the  social  law,  we  may  speak 
of  it  in  the  second  respect  as  its  "  intension." 
This  intension  of  the  law  is  clear  throughout  the 
utterances  of  Christ.  Christ  opposes  what  He 
said  to  what  Moses  and  their  traditions  had  told 
the  Jews.  Again  and  again  he  uses  the  words  : 

1  Acts  x,  34,  35.  2  Acts  xxii,  22. 


64  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

"  Ye  have  heard  that  it  hath  been  said  .  .  .  but 
I  say  unto  you."  Whenever  this  is  done,  it  is 
not  the  act  merely,  but  the  evil  thought  or  de- 
sire with  respect  to  our  brother  that  is  for- 
bidden. In  every  case  it  is  the  very  spirit  of 
the  law  which  is  to  be  carried  out  absolutely 
without  restriction,  and  we  must  not  think  an 
evil  thing  with  respect  to  our  brother.  "  Ye 
have  heard  that  it  was  said  by  them  of  old  time, 
Thou  shalt  not  kill ;  and  whosoever  shall  kill 
shall  be  in  danger  of  the  judgment:  but  I  say  unto 
you,  That  whosoever  is  angry  with  his  brother 
without  a  cause  shall  be  in  danger  of  the  judg- 
ment :  and  whosoever  shall  say  to  his  brother, 
Raca,  shall  be  in  danger  of  the  council :  but  who- 
soever shall  say,  Thou  fool,  shall  be  in  danger  of 
hell  fire."1 

As  in  our  day,  so  in  the  time  of  Christ,  men 
found  all  sorts  of  pretexts  to  justify  themselves 
in  disobedience  to  the  social  law,  and  then,  as 
now,  one  of  the  most  frequent  seems  to  have 
been  gifts  to  further  the  maintenance  of  religious 
worship.  It  was  thus  that  evil  persons  justified 
themselves  for  neglecting  so  plain  a  duty  as  the 
obligation  to  contribute  to  the  support,  when 
needful,  of  one's  parents.  If  one  said  of  money 
which  ought  to  have  been  given  to  a  father  or 
mother,  "  It  is  corban,"  a  gift  for  a  religious 

1  Matthew  v,  21,  22. 


The  Old  and  New  Testaments.  65 

establishment,  then  he  was  held  to  be  under  no 
obligation  to  minister  to  his  parents.  But  Christ 
sternly  rebuked  those  who  maintained  this  tra- 
dition, and  said  unto  them,  that  thus  they  had 
made  the  law  of  God  of  no  effect.  Christ  men- 
tions one  duty  after  another  to  our  fellows :  love, 
forgiveness,  etc. ;  and  closes  with,  "  Be  ye  there- 
fore perfect,  even  as  your  Father  which  is  in 
heaven  is  perfect."  ' 

The  intension  of  ethical  obligation,  as  well  as 
its  extension,  is  illustrated  by  the  emphasis  laid 
on  sins  of  omission.  This  is  what  the  parable 
of  Dives  and  Lazarus  means.  The  writer  well 
remembers  a  powerful  sermon  on  this  subject.* 
The  message  of  the  divine  was  a  plain,  simple 
one.  We  were  asked,  What  was  the  offense  of 
Dives  ?  We  have  no  reason  to  suppose  that  he 
was  not  respectable,  was  not  a  pillar  of  society, 
giving  employment  to  many — and  all  that  sort 
of  thing.  If  we  adhere  to  the  Bible  narrative — 
and  we  have  no  right  to  do  anything  else — the 
only  fault  we  can  find  with  him  is  that  he  did 
not  think.  He  did  not  consider  the  poor;  he 
passed  by  absorbed  in  his  own  concerns ;  he  did 
not  know  the  needs  of  the  beggar  at  his  gates ; 
and  so,  we  are  told,  he  went  to  hell. 

The  same  emphasis  on  omission  is  brought  out 

1  Matthew  v,  48. 

3  Preached  by  Bishop  I.  L.  Nicholson,  of  Milwaukee,  Wis. 


66  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

in  the  account  of  the  last  judgment :  Those  who 
were  sent  away  accursed  are  very  much  surprised 
when  they  are  told  by  the  Great  Judge,  "  I  was 
an  hungered,  and  ye  gave  Me  no  meat :  I  was 
thirsty,  and  ye  gave  Me  no  drink:  I  was  a 
stranger,  and  ye  took  Me  not  in :  naked,  and  ye 
clothed  Me  not :  sick,  and  in  prison,  and  ye  vis- 
ited Me  not."  In  their  astonishment  they  ask, 
"  When  saw  we  Thee  an  hungered,  or  athirst,  or 
a  stranger,  or  naked,  or  sick,  or  in  prison,  and  did 
not  minister  unto  Thee?"1  But  they  are  told 
that  their  sin  was  one  of  omission  ;  they  had  not 
done  it  to  the  least  of  the  needy,  and  so  they 
had  not  done  it  to  the  Judge.  The  same  em- 
phasis on  omission  is  given  by  St.  James  in  his 
epistle,  "  Therefore  to  him  that  knoweth  to  do 
good,  and  doeth  it  not,  to  him  it  is  sin."  ! 

St.  Luke  gives  the  spirit  of  Christ's  entire  mis- 
sion in  the  sermon  of  Christ's  which  he  records 
early  in  his  gospel :  "  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is 
upon  me,  because  He  hath  anointed  Me  to  preach 
the  Gospel  to  the  poor ;  He  hath  sent  Me  to  heal 
the  broken  hearted,  to  preach  deliverance  to  the 
captives,  and  recovering  of  sight  to  the  blind,  to 
set  at  liberty  them  that  are  bruised,  to  preach 
the  acceptable  year  of  the  Lord."  !  This  to  be 
understood  must  be  brought  into  immediate  con- 
nection with  the  Year  of  Jubilee,  to  which  it  re- 

1  Matthew  xxv,  31-46.     J  James  iv,  17.     3Luke,  iv,  18,  19. 


The  Old  and  New  Testaments.  67 

ferred.  What  was  the  purpose  of  the  Year  of 
Jubilee?  Manifestly  it  had  a  social  purpose;  it 
aimed  to  abolish  poverty,  to  secure  as  nearly  as 
practicable  a  competency  for  all,  to  prevent  vast 
accumulations,  and  generally  to  establish  right 
relations  among  men.  Had  Christ's  meaning 
been  purely  transcendental,  referring  to  things 
of  another  world  entirely,  He  would  have  had 
to  explain  himself  to  the  Jews,  whose  hope  was 
for  righteousness  in  this  world.  He  evidently 
wished  them  to  think  of  the  Year  of  Jubilee,  and 
they  were  pleased  with  His  message,  "  And  all 
bare  Him  witness  and  wondered  at  the  gracious 
words  which  proceeded  out  of  His  mouth."  ' 

Take  again  the  doctrine  of  stewardship.  Un- 
fortunately this  doctrine  gives  satisfaction  in 
proportion  as  it  is  vague  and  general ;  but,  as 
taught  in  the  New  Testament,  it  is  definite  and 
precise  enough.  It  has  direct  reference  to  the 
relations  of  Israel  to  the  land  which  the  nation 
held.  This  land  was  not  the  property  of  the 
nation,  not  even  of  the  family,  much  less  of  the 
individual.  It  was  God's  property,  and  was  as- 
signed to  families  for  their  use  under  national 
regulation.  It  was  literally  a  trust.  And  it  was 
this  trust  which  Christ  extended  and  intensified. 

Does  not  all  this  help  us  to  understand  better 
what  the  apparently  contradictory  statements  in 
1  Lake  iv,  22. 


68  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

regard  to  the  law  of  Moses  mean  ?  When  the 
abolition  of  the  law  is  spoken  of,  or  is  advocated, 
either  in  theory  or  practice,  by  Christ  and  His 
apostles,  we  have  to  do  with  the  ceremonial  law 
which  separated  the  Jewish  nation  from  other 
nations.  This  law  had  to  pass  away  precisely  be- 
cause it  was  a  wall  of  separation  ;  but  the  social 
law  could  not  pass  away,  not  even  one  "jot  or 
tittle,"  until  all  was  fulfilled;  on  the  contrary, 
that  was  extended  to  all  the  world,  and  inten- 
sified even  to  perfection. 

Another  thing  must  be  noticed.  Moses  said 
nothing  about  a  future  life ;  his  purpose  was  to 
establish  the  right  relations  among  men  in  this 
world.  He  was  well  acquainted  with  the  doc- 
trine of  the  future  life,  and  thus  with  the  work- 
ings in  Egypt  of  a  religious  system  which  had 
reference  to  the  life  to  come,  rather  than  the 
present.  It  has  been  held,  and  as  the  writer  be- 
lieves truly,  that  it  is  a  strong  proof  of  the 
divine  character  of  the  Old  Testament  that  it  is 
confined  to  the  present  world.  Christ  takes,  un- 
doubtedly, a  step  in  advance.  He  brings  to  light 
and  establishes  conclusively,  for  all  Christians, 
the  doctrine  of  the  resurrection  and  immortality  ; 
in  short,  eternal  life.  But,  note :  This  eternal 
life  begins  in  this  world.  The  establishment  of 
right  relations  in  this  world  is  our  work,  and  is 
our  preparation  for  the  life  to  come.  Again  and 


The  Old  and  New  Testaments.  69 

again,  when  Christ's  disciples  would  peer  curi- 
ously into  the  future,  they  are  turned  aside  to 
the  present  life  and  its  duties.  Christ  thus  kept 
in  the  footsteps  of  Moses,  and  His  message  was 
simply  a  further  evolution  of  the  teachings  of 
Moses.  His  prayer  says  nothing  about  the 
future  life,  but  teaches  us  to  pray,  "  Thy  King- 
dom come,  Thy  will  be  done  on  earth  as  it  is  in 
Heaven." 

"  But,"  it  may  be  objected,  "  did  not  Christ 
say  in  so  many  words,  that  His  kingdom  was  not 
of  this  world?"  Yes,  truly.  But  the  interpre- 
tation of  these  words  cannot  be  extremely  diffi- 
cult when  an  attempt  is  made  to  interpret  them 
in  harmony  with  the  other  sayings  of  Christ  and 
with  the  general  spirit  of  His  utterances.  The 
world  is  frequently  used  to  denote  age  or  dis- 
pensation, and  when  we  find  the  word  "  world  " 
in  the  Bible  we  shall  often  catch  the  true  idea  in- 
volved if  we  substitute  the  word  "  age."  Thus, 
whether  we  say,  "  the  present  wicked  world,"  or 
"  the  present  wicked  age,"  is  frequently  im- 
material. But  more  than  this  may  be  said. 
The  world  which  is  condemned,  and  which  is  the 
exact  opposite  of  Christ's  kingdom,  is  the  world 
used  in  the  sense  of  worldliness,  and  worldliness 
is  essentially  self-seeking,  self-indulgence,  and 
neglect  of  one's  highest  interests,  as  well  as  the 
welfare  of  others.  When  one  condemns  the 


70  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

worldly  man  or  the  worldly  woman,  one  does 
not  imply  of  necessity  any  doubt  as  to  the  ulti- 
mate triumph  of  Christ.  We  say  of  the  worldly 
person,  and  of  the  saint  of  God,  "  They  live  in 
two  different  worlds."  It  is  very  true ;  Christ's 
kingdom  is  the  direct  antithesis  of  the  one 
world,  while  the  other  world  is  that  kingdom. 
The  world  in  the  bad  sense  is,  indeed,  defined 
in  the  First  Epistle  General  of  John  as  "  the  lust 
of  the  flesh,  and  the  lust  of  the  eyes,  and  the 
pride  of  life."  *  Yes,  it  is  true  ;  Christ's  kingdom 
was  not  of  the  world  which  surrounded  Him,  nor 
is  it  of  the  world  which  envelops  us;  but  our 
world  is  much  nearer  His  coming  kingdom. 
Things  are  becoming  new,  old  things  are  passing 
away,  and  it  is  for  Christ's  people  to  make  of  the 
kingdoms  of  this  world  Christ's  kingdom. 

Finally,  a  few  words  must  be  devoted  to  the 
removal  of  misconceptions.  We  should  remem- 
ber, however,  first  of  all  in  this  connection,  that 
it  is  infidels  rather  than  Christians  who  interpret 

1  The  Revised  Version  reads  :  "Vainglory  of  life"  (i  John 
ii,  16). 

Somewhat,  but  not  precisely,  the  same  idea  is  expressed  in 
the  following  quotation :  "  The  artificial,  conventional  order 
which  communities  establish  among  themselves — an  order  un- 
natural, transitory,  and  tending  to  corruption — has  been  called 
World,  and  has  been  contrasted  by  poets  with  Nature  and  by 
theologians  with  God." — Sir  J.  R.  Seeley,  Natural  Religion, 
p.  83. 


The  Old  and  New  Testaments.  71 

Christ  as  one  standing  aloof  from  this  world  and 
its  concerns,  and  directing  the  attention  of  men 
to  the  future  life.  If  we  would  fairly  understand 
Christ's  preaching  and  conduct,  we  must  remem- 
ber He  was  a  member  of  a  subjugated  nation. 
He  was  a  Jew,  living  under  the  Roman  power, 
and  one  teaching  obedience  to  the  civil  authori- 
ties, paying  tribute  to  Caesar,  and  obeying  the 
laws  of  Rome.  When  this  is  borne  in  mind,  we 
must  be  more  and  more  astonished  at  the  social 
character  of  Christ's  message.  Naturally  it  was 
not  what  it  would  have  been  had  the  Jewish 
nation  at  that  time  been  an  independent  sov- 
ereign nation.  To  understand  the  position  of 
Christ,  we  must  call  before  our  mind  the  position 
of  missionaries  in  foreign  lands — let  us  say,  Turkey 
in  Asia.  Now,  missionaries  in  a  land  like  Turkey, 
however  much  they  may  believe  in  social  Chris- 
tianity, must  confine  themselves  exclusively  to 
individual  work  ;  no  other  course  is  open  to  them. 
This  individual  work  must,  they  believe,  sooner 
or  later,  have  its  social  consequences,  and  these 
missionaries  must  all  regret  the  limitations  that 
are  imposed  upon  them ;  yet  Christ  went  much 
further  than  any  missionary — say,  to  Armenia  in 
Turkey — will  go  to-day.  He  spoke  continually 
of  a  kingdom,  and  this  kingdom,  however  estab- 
lished, means  a  social  organization.  The  estab- 
lishment of  this  kingdom  was  the  supreme  thing 


72  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

with  Christ.  His  enemies  knew  very  well  that 
this  was  a  social  message,  and  He  knew  it ;  but 
He  adhered  to  His  social  message  and  laid  down 
His  life  for  it. 

It  can  scarcely  be  necessary  to  go  into  verse 
after  verse  which  is  misinterpreted  and  often 
used  as  a  support  to  those  who  wrould  evade 
social  responsibility.  "  Render  unto  Caesar  the 
things  that  are  Caesar's,  and  unto  God  the 
things  that  are  God's;  "  this  is  an  injunction  of 
loyalty  even  to  a  foreign  power  which  had  con- 
quered the  nation.  It  recognized  the  sovereign 
authority  although  established  by  conquest.  It 
is  wrenching  and  twisting  things  out  of  all  their 
connection  to  make  this  precept  of  Christ's 
imply  an  injunction  on  the  part  of  Christians 
to  neglect  the  affair  of  this  world.  The  whole 
spirit  of  the  Old  and  the  New  Testaments 
teaches  us  that  we  must  strive  for  national 
righteousness  and  help  to  carry  out  God's  pur- 
pose, which  is  to  make  the  kingdoms  of  this 
world  God's  kingdoms. 

Similarly  Christ  laid  down  principles  which, 
carried  out,  will  establish  right  relations  among 
men.  These  right  relations  will  be  political, 
economic,  social.  The  distribution  of  wealth 
will  no  more  escape  regulation  in  accordance 
with  the  principles  of  mutual  love  than  any 
other  social  relation.  But  Christ  refused,  we 


The  Old  and  New  Testaments.  73 

hear  it  said,  to  divide  the  inheritance  between 
two  brothers  when  requested  to  do  so  by  one 
of  them. 

Those  who  wish  to  draw  from  this  a  general 
principle  in  accordance  with  which  Christianity 
has  no  concern  with  the  distribution  of  wealth, 
should  ask  themselves  what  would  have  been 
the  result  if  Christ,  Himself,  had  undertaken  to 
decide  individual  cases.  First  of  all,  we  may 
observe  that  He  would  have  had  no  time  or 
energy  for  anything  else.  Second,  we  may 
notice  that  He  would  have  come  into  conflict 
with  the  civil  authorities.  What  Christ  did  was 
to  lay  down  general  principles  to  be  carried  out 
in  detail  by  His  followers  in  all  generations  to 
come.  He  laid  down  principles  by  which  men 
were  to  settle  their  controversies,  and  His  fol- 
lowers developed  institutions  which  had  in 
mind  the  regulation  of  economic  and  all  other 
social  relations,  and  these  they  carried  out  as  far 
as  the  circumstances  of  the  time  permitted. 

We  thus  see  that  the  Gospel  of  Christ  was  an 
extension  and  intension  of  the  teachings  of  the 
law  and  the  prophets,  and  veritably  "  good 
tidings  of  great  joy  "  for  all  the  nations  of  the 
world,  "  from  the  rising  of  the  sun,  even  unto 
the  going  down  of  the  same." 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  SOCIAL  LAW  OF  SERVICE. 


"  THEREFORE  come  what  may,  hold  fast  to  love.  Though  men 
should  rend  your  heart,  let  them  not  embitter  or  harden  it.  We 
win  by  tenderness,  we  conquer  by  forgiveness.  O  !  strive  to 
enter  into  something  of  that  large  celestial  charity  which  is 
meek,  enduring,  unretaliating,  and  which  even  the  overbearing 
world  cannot  withstand  forever.  Learn  the  new  commandment 
of  the  Son  of  God.  Not  to  love  merely,  but  to  love  as  He  loved. 
Go  forth  in  this  spirit  to  your  life  duties ;  go  forth,  children  of 
the  Cross,  to  carry  everything  before  you,  and  win  victories  for 
God  by  the  conquering  power  of  a  love  like  his." — Rev.  Freder- 
ick W.  Robertson,  Sermons,  p.  184. 


The  Social  Law  of  Service.  77 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  SOCIAL  LAW  OF  SERVICE. 

WE  all  crave  happiness.  Happiness  is  an  end 
of  life  which  is  worthy  of  effort,  but  it  is 
an  end  which  must  be  subordinated  to  another 
end  if  it  is  to  be  pursued  successfully ;  and  this 
other  end  is  service.  But  service  means  sacrifice  ; 
apparently  the  opposite  of  happiness.  We  reach 
this  paradox  then:  Happiness  is  a  worthy  end 
of  our  efforts  ;  but  if  we  place  it  before  ourselves 
as  the  direct  and  immediate  end  to  be  striven 
for,  we  cannot  reach  it.  It  will  elude  us.  It 
will  be  to  us  like  the  water  all  about  Tantalus, 
the  cold  flood  welling  ever  to  his  chin,  yet 
always  retreating  from  his  fiery  lips  ;  like  the 
fruit  over  his  head  which  the  winds  whirled  sky- 
ward through  the  air : 

"  Whensoe'er, 

The  old  man  fain  to  cool  his  burning  tongue, 
Clutched  with  his  fingers  at  the  branches  fair." 

Individual  lives  repeat  the  race-history.  If 
you  would  attain  to  happiness  seek  something 
else.  Poets,  philosophers,  and  prophets,  all  tell 
us  this,  for  to  all  it  comes  as  the  result  of  the 


78  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

deepest  insight  and  the  ripest  experience.  But 
all  go  further.  You  must  cast  aside  the 
thought  of  happiness  as  a  chief  aim.  You  may 
not  keep  it  concealed  in  a  corner  of  your  mind 
and  heart  as  after  all  the  main  thing,  but  a 
thing  to  be  reached  in  a  round-about  way.  You 
cannot  successfully  juggle  with  yourself.  You 
must  in  very  truth  renounce  yourself  to  find 
yourself,  and  give  up  yourself  to  save  yourself. 

To  the  author's  mind  there  are  few  more  inter- 
esting, more  instructive,  and  withal  pathetic  life 
histories  than  that  of  John  Stuart  Mill,  penned 
by  himself.  It  is  the  story  of  a  rarely  gifted, 
noble  nature,  purposely  brought  up  outside  of 
the  pale  of  Christianity  and  taught  to  look  upon 
all  religions  as  so  many  forms  of  superstition, 
yet  gradually  approaching  the  light  as  the  years 
passed  by.  Mill  tells  us  that  in  his  early  life  his 
object  was  to  be  a  reformer  of  the  world,  and 
that  his  conception  of  his  own  happiness  was 
entirely  identified  with  this  object.  He  thought 
he  had  the  certainty  of  a  happy  life,  because  he 
had  placed  his  happiness  in  something  durable 
and  distant ;  in  a  goal  toward  which  approach 
could  always  be  made  although  it  could  never  be 
reached.  But  Mill  found  that  even  so  noble  a 
pursuit  could  not  give  permanent  happiness  when 
happiness  was  the  end  sought.  He  reached  a 
period  when  existence  seemed  almost  an  intoler- 


The  Social  Law  of  Service.  79 

able  burden ;  a  burden  which  he  himself  said 
was  well  described  by  Coleridge's  lines  on  "  De- 
jection:  " 

"A  grief  without  a  pang,  void,  dark,  and  drear, 
A  drowsy,  stifled,  unimpassioned  grief, 
Which  finds  no  natural  outlet  or  relief, 
In  word,  or  sigh,  or  tear." 

When  a  moderate  happiness  returned  he  discov- 
ered that,  "  Those  only  are  happy  who  have  their 
mind  fixed  on  some  object  other  than  their  own 
happiness  ;  as,  the  happiness  of  others,  on  the 
improvement  of  mankind,  even  on  some  art  or 
pursuit,  followed  not  as  a  means,  but  as  itself  an 
ideal  end.  Aiming  thus  at  something  else  they 
find  happiness  by  the  way." 

We  have  in  these  words  of  Mill  a  partial  state- 
ment, at  least,  of  the  great  ethical  law  of  indi- 
rectness. We  reach  ethical  ends  only  indirectly. 
Resolving  to  be  good  will  in  itself  never  make 
us  good. 

But  shall  we  heap  paradox  on  paradox?  We 
have  already  found  that  while  the  craving  for 
happiness  is  natural  and  the  desire  for  happiness 
is  legitimate,  we  shall  lose  it  if  we  seek  it.  We 
have  discovered  that  the  secret  of  life  is  renun- 
ciation. We  must  sacrifice  our  life  to  receive  it 
in  fullness.  "  Surely,  then,  self-sacrifice  is  an 
end,"  we  may  be  told.  By  no  means.  Self- 
sacrifice  in  itself  is  no  virtue  and  may  not  be 
6 


80  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

made  an  end  in  itself.  Self-sacrifice  pursued 
as  an  end  leads  to  a  gloomy  asceticism  which 
would  have  us  refuse  the  joy  of  life  as  some- 
thing bad  and  hateful  to  the  Giver  of  all  good 
things.  Self-sacrifice  bears  its  fruit  of  peace 
and  happiness,  and  life  only  when  it  is  pursued 
indirectly. 

Self-sacrifice  itself  falls  under  the  law  of  indi- 
rectness. 'Let  us  listen  to  wise  words  of  Bishop 
Boyd  Carpenter :  "  A  man  cannot  perfect  him- 
self in  anything  if  he  seek  perfection  directly ; 
for,  if  he  does,  the  shadow  of  himself  intervenes 
and  spoils  his  work.  Sacrifice,  when  it  is  sought 
as  a  sacrifice,  has  a  self-consciousness  which  mars 
its  simplicity  and  spoils  its  moral  force.  When 
men  preach  self-sacrifice — self-sacrifice  as  the 
moral  force  which  can  regenerate  mankind — they 
forget  that  self-forgetful  ness  is  essential  to  per- 
fect sacrifice ;  a  sacrifice,  undertaken  because 
sacrifice  is  noble,  is  alloyed  with  that  self-regard- 
ing look  which  mars  its  beauty  in  the  view  of  the 
soul  itself.  Sacrifice  which  knows  itself  as  such 
is  not  pure  sacrifice."  ' 

Have  we  not  seen  this  in  those  who  have  found 
the  secret  of  life?  Have  we  not  noticed  how 
those  whose  life  is  wholly  given  to  others — per- 
haps in  some  far-away  land,  deprived  of  almost 
everything  which  we  hold  dear — speak  of  their 

1  The  Permanent  Elements  of  Religion,  pp.  36,  37. 


The  Social  Law  of  Service.  81 

privileges  ?  Have  we  never  heard  a  noble  woman, 
wholly  given  to  good  works  in  a  dreary  slum  of  a 
great  city,  and  who  in  the  opinion  of  a  host  of 
admiring  friends  is  almost  ready  for  canonization, 
resent  the  thought  that  her  life  was  one  of  self- 
sacrifice  ?  Undoubtedly.  And  there  is  one  word 
that  gives  the  key  to  these  paradoxes.  What  is 
it  ?  We  know  what  it  is :  Love — love,  the  se- 
cret of  the  universe.  Sacrifice  is  not  an  end  in 
itself,  but  sacrifice  is  the  condition  of  service. 
The  law  of  society  is  service.  This  is  the  su- 
preme law  of  society  from  which  no  one  can  es- 
cape with  impunity.  Ethical  teachers  now 
approach  unanimity  in  the  assertion  that  the 
criterion  of  right  conduct  is  social  well-being. 
The  welfare  of  society  is  the  test  of  conduct  in 
the  individual.  It  would  be  interesting  to  take 
four  great  writers — a  theologian,  a  jurist,  a  pro- 
fessor of  natural  science,  and  a  student  of  society 
— and  to  discover  their  entire  and  complete  har- 
mony in  the  view  that  the  purpose  of  the  rules 
of  right  individual  conduct  is  the  welfare  of  so- 
ciety. 

There  is  one  law,  and  only  one,  taught  by  the 
Christian  religion  and  on  its  manward  side ;  that 
is,  the  law  of  love,  which  finds  expression  in  the 
social  law  of  service.  Christianity  and  ethical 
science  agree  perfectly.  Social  welfare  is  the 
test  of  right  conduct.  All  right  laws  which  reg- 


82  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

ulate  human  relations  have  in  view  the  well-being 
of  society  and  they  are  all  one.  Thus  it  is  true 
that  he  who  breaks  any  one  law  breaks  all,  for 
they  all  have  one  source  and  one  purpose.  The 
thief  and  the  undutiful  child,  the  murderer  and 
the  slothful  person,  all  alike  have  violated  the 
social  law  of  service.  When  you  utter  unkind 
words,  when  you  neglect  an  opportunity  to  lend 
a  helping  hand,  when  you  spend  material  wealth 
to  gratify  whim,  caprice,  vanity,  instead  of  to 
accomplish  worthy  ends,  you  have  broken  the 
same  law  which  has  been  violated  by  the  crim- 
inal classes  in  our  prisons  and  penitentiaries. 

This  may  seem  like  a  hard  saying,  but  the 
more  we  ponder  it,  the  more  meaning  it  will  have 
for  us.  Arid  the  message  which  it  conveys  to  us 
is  one  which  is  needed  in  these  days  of  great 
wealth  and  easy-going  self-indulgenee,  if  it  ever 
was  needed. 

It  will  be  well  for  us  to  contrast  at  some  length 
Christian  self-sacrifice,  the  condition  of  social 
service  with  asceticism,  which  is  its  perversion. 
The  two  following  quotations  will  be  so  helpful 
to  us  that  we  take  them  as  a  text  in  our  treat- 
ment of  the  entire  subject  of  Christian  self-sacri- 
fice versus  asceticism : 

"Then  said  Jesus  unto  His  disciples,  If  any 
man  will  come  after  Me,  let  him  deny  himself, 
and  take  up  his  cross,  and  follow  Me. 


The  Social  Law  of  Service.  83 

"  For  whosoever  will  save  his  life  shall  lose 
it :  and  whosoever  will  lose  his  life  for  my  sake 
shall  find  it."  ' 

"  The  first  condition  of  all  really  great  moral 
excellence  is  a  spirit  of  genuine  self-sacrifice  and 
self-renunciation."  a 

An  enduring  truth  is  expressed  in  these  quo- 
tations. The  first  is  one  of  these  pregnant  say- 
ings of  Christ  which  have  been  bearing  fruit  for 
nearly  two  thousand  years,  and  which  are  as  vital 
to-day  in  Christendom  as  ever  before.  They 
have,  indeed,  but  begun  to  do  their  work,  because 
they  contain  lessons  founded  on  the  fundamental 
principles  of  man's  nature.  They  belong  to  no 
age  and  to  no  country.  They  reveal  that  mar- 
velous insight,  not  merely  into  human  nature, 
but  into  the  depths  of  moral  and  spiritual  truth, 
which  again  and  again  has  provoked  from  men 
the  spontaneous  and  surprised  exclamation: 
"  Never  man  spake  like  this  man." 3  What  Emer- 
son says — with  some  exaggeration,  perhaps— of 
Plato,  is  fully  true  of  Christ  in  the  sense  in  which 
Emerson  uses  the  words :  "  The  citizen  of  an 
Eastern  [Greek]  town,  but  no  villager  nor  patriot." 
Christ  was  one  of  those  who,  in  the  best  sense  of 
the  word,  are  cosmopolitan — belonging  to  the 

1  Matthew  xvi,  24,  25. 

8  Lecky,  History  of  European  Morals,  ii,  155. 

3  John  vii,  46. 


84  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

world — laying  the  foundations  of  a  true  patriot- 
ism, yet  not  patriotic  in  a  narrow  and  exclusive 
sense,  because  transcending  all  national  bounds. 

The  second  quotation,  taken  from  Lecky's 
History  of  European  Morals,  is  the  author's  pro- 
found reflection  after  his  admirable  study  of 
Christian  asceticism,  and  is,  perhaps,  all  the  more 
significant  because  the  author  reaches  his  con- 
clusions as  a  result,  not  of  religious  experiences, 
but  of  independent  investigations  and  historical 
researches. 

What  is  the  difference  between  Christian  self- 
sacrifice  and  asceticism  ?  Certainly  it  is  not  in 
the  degree  of  self-renunciation.  What  asceticism 
has  exacted  from  those  who  have  thought  to  find 
in  it  the  way  of  life,  we  may  read  in  the  painful 
narrative  of  Lecky.  Wife,  husband,  children,  the 
blessings  of  civilization  enjoyed  in  the  midst  of 
abundant  comfort,  pleasures  of  every  sort,  all 
have  been  exchanged  gladly  for  the  hermit's 
cell,  often  a  wild  beast's  den  in  the  desert,  for 
rags  and  filth,  for  the  scantiest  diet,  for  long 
vigils,  for  castigations,  for  privations  and  suffer- 
ings, which  have  cut  short  thousands  of  lives. 
St.  Simeon  Stylites,  on  his  pillar,  bidding  his  at- 
tendant replace  the  worms  which  fed  on  his 
flesh,  as  they  fell  from  the  sickening  sores  of  his 
disgusting  body,  saying  to  the  worms,  "  Eat  what 
God  has  given  you,"  is  a  well-known  type  of  the 


The  Social  Law  of  Service.  85 

ascetic.  Blaise  Pascal  is  one  of  the  higher  types 
of  the  ascetic,  and  his  self-inflicted  tortures  are 
described  in  these  words :  "  To  avoid  wandering 
and  worldly  thoughts  when  engaged  in  conversa- 
tion, he  took  an  iron  girdle  full  of  sharp  points, 
which  he  placed  next  to  his  flesh,  and  when  con- 
scious of  an  impulse  to  vanity,  or  even  a  feeling 
of  pleasure  in  the  place  where  he  happened  to  be, 
he  struck  the  girdle  with  his  elbow  in  order  to 
increase  the  pain  of  the  punctures.  He  ate  a 
certain  regulated  quantity  of  food  whether  hun- 
gry or  not,  never  exceeding  it,  however  good  his 
appetite,  and  never  eating  less,  however  great 
his  loathing;  and  this  on  the  ground  that  taking 
food  was  a  duty,  which  was  never  to  be  accom- 
panied by  any  sensual  pleasure.  .  .  .  He  morti- 
fied his  affections  not  less  than  his  body,  and  said 
that  we  should  never  allow  anyone  to  love  us 
with  fondness  ;  in  fostering  such  attachments  we 
occupied  hearts  which  ought  to  be  given  solely 
to  God ;  that  it  was  robbing  Him  of  that  on 
which  He  set  most  store.  '  It  is  not  right  that 
others  should  attach  themselves  to  me,  even  if 
they  do  it  willingly  and  with  pleasure.  I  should 
deceive  those  in  whom  I  excited  such  a  feeling. 
Am  I  not  about  to  die?  The  object  of  their 
love  will  then  perish.  As  I  should  warn  people 
against  believing  a  falsehood,  however  profitable 
to  me,  I  should  warn  them  not  to  attach  them- 


86  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

selves  to  me ;  for  their  duty  is  to  spend  their 
lives  in  striving  to  please  God,  or  in  seeking 
Him.'"1 

Yet  the  sufferings  of  the  ascetic  were  not  more 
severe  than  those  which  Christ  invited  His  fol- 
lowers to  endure.  How  strange  the  allure- 
ments held  out  to  men  to  join  the  Christian 
ranks  in  the  time  of  Christ  and  His  apostles ! 
The  birds  of  the  air  have  their  nests,  the  beasts 
of  the  field  have  their  holes,  but  I,  the  Christ, 
have  nowhere  to  lay  My  head,  yet  follow  Me.  I 
am  not  to  receive  earthly  honors,  as  has  been 
vainly  supposed — I  shall  be  despised  and  re- 
jected, persecuted  to  the  death,  hung  upon  the 
shameful  cross  to  die  an  ignominious  death,  yet 
follow  Me  and  see  the  things  which  I  must  suf- 
fer. Do  not  think,  however,  that  you  will  fare 
better  than  I  !  Far  from  it.  If  they  have 
called  me  Beelzebub,  how  much  more  shall  they 
call  you  the  children  of  hell !  If  I  have  been 
maltreated,  so  shall  you  also  be  scourged,  im- 
prisoned, crucified.  Follow  Me  and  I  will  show 
you  how  great  things  you  must  suffer  for  Me! 
Did  ever  captain  draw  his  hosts  about  him  with 
such  promise  of  reward?  Yet  a  response  to  the 
call  of  Christ  has  never  been  lacking.  From  the 
time  of  Christ  to  this  day  an  interesting  multi- 
tude of  believers  have  accepted  the  call  to  suffer 

1  J.  C.  Morison,  Service  of  Man,  pp.  211,  212. 


The  Social  Law  of  Service.  87 

for  Christ,  and  accepted  it  not  only  without  reser- 
vation but  with  joy.  Remember  the  conversion 
of  St.  Paul.  The  disciple  of  Christ  who  hesitated 
to  receive  the  persecuting  Saul  is  reassured  with 
these  words  :  "  He  is  a  chosen  vessel  unto  Me, .  .  . 
for  I  will  show  him  how  great  things  he  must 
suffer  for  My  name's  sake."  And  St.  Paul  entered 
on  his  work,  not  with  assurances  of  great  success 
in  a  large  field  of  usefulness,  not  with  promises 
of  large  victories  as  a  result  of  battles  with  the 
enemies  of  Christ,  but  with  the  knowledge  that  he 
must  bear  unusual  cruelties.  This  was  his  in- 
citement, this  was  the  inducement  held  out  for 
an  alliance  with  a  despised  sect.  Yet  gladly  did 
St.  Paul  accept  the  proffer,  and  before  the  end 
of  his  sufferings  we  find  him  describing  with  a 
certain  feeling  of  exultation  his  experiences  as  a 
follower  of  the  Nazarene :  "  Of  the  Jews  five 
times  received  I  forty  stripes  save  one.  Thrice 
was  I  beaten  with  rods,  once  was  I  stoned,  thrice 
I  suffered  shipwreck,  a  night  and  a  day  I  have 
been  in  the  deep  ;  in  journeyings  often,  in  perils 
of  waters,  in  perils  of  robbers,  in  perils  by  mine 
own  countrymen,  in  perils  by  the  heathen,  in 
perils  in  the  city,  in  perils  in  the  wilderness,  in 
perils  in  the  sea,  in  perils  among  false  brethren  ; 
in  weariness  and  painfulness,  in  watchings  often, 
in  hunger  and  thirst,  in  fastings  often,  in  cold 
and  nakedness ;  besides  those  things  that  are 


88  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

without,  there  is  that  which  presseth  upon  me 
daily,  anxiety  for  all  the  churches." '  * 

Nevertheless  there  is  a  marked  difference  be- 
tween the  exhortations  of  Christ  and  the 
entreaties  of  the  preachers  of  ascetism  and  self- 
renunciation.  Asceticism  is  self-denial  for  its 
own  sake,  and  Christ  never  urged  that  upon  His 
followers.  What  the  world  offers  is  in  itself 
good  and  to  be  enjoyed  with  thanksgiving.  The 
flowers  of  the  field  have  been  clothed  by  God 
with  a  beauty  of  which  Solomon  could  not  boast, 
to  rejoice  the  eye  of  man.  The  beasts  and  fields 
produce  food  and  raiment  in  abundance,  and  all 
innocent  enjoyment  is  a  positive  duty  rather  than 
a  sin.  Rejoice  and  be  exceeding  glad  for  the 
gifts  of  your  heavenly  Father;  this  is  the  spirit 
of  Christ. 

We  may,  indeed,  rejoice  that  we  have  been 
emancipated  from  the  bonds  of  a  gloomy  asceti- 
cism which  made  a  virtue  of  sacrifice  and  suffer- 
ing in  themselves.  Suffering  goes  with  sin  ;  joy 
with  righteousness.  Christ  came  to  make  this 
world  a  happy  world  and,  as  His  purposes  ap- 
proach completion,  happiness  of  the  highest  sort 

1  2  Corinthians  xi,  24-28. 

*  The  author  wishes  to  acknowledge  at  this  point  the  valuable 
assistance  received  from  Bishop  Boyd  Carpenter's  Permanent 
Element  of  Religion,  from  which  book  this  illustration  and  some 
other  quotations  are  taken. 


The  Social  Law  of  Service.  89 

must  increase.  This  world  will  become  a  happier 
and  happier  world  as  time  goes  on,  for  the  com- 
ing of  the  kingdom  means  the  subjugation  of  the 
entire  world  to  Christ.  And  by  the  entire  world 
we  understand  not  only  man,  but  external  phys- 
ical forces.  This  thought  is  clearly  revealed  in 
the  prophecies  of  the  Old  Testament,  especially 
in  Isaiah :  "  Instead  of  the  thorn  shall  come  up 
the  fir  tree,  and  instead  of  the  brier  shall  come  up 
the  myrtle  tree."  '  This  signifies  the  subjugation 
of  the  forces  of  nature,  but  nature  includes  man's 
physical  body,  and  that,  too,  in  a  righteous  state, 
will  have  long  life  gradually,  peacefully,  fading 
away  at  last.  "And  I  will  rejoice  in  Jerusalem, 
and  joy  in  my  people :  and  the  voice  of  weeping 
shall  be  no  more  heard  in  her,  nor  the  voice  of 
crying.  There  shall  be  no  more  thence  an  infant 
of  days,  nor  an  old  man  that  hath  not  filled  his 
days :  for  the  child  shall  die  an  hundred  years 
old.  .  .  .  They  shall  build  houses,  and  inhabit 
them;  and  they  shall  plant  vineyards,  and  eat  the 
fruit  of  them.  .  .  .  For  as  the  days  of  a  tree  are 
the  days  of  my  people,  and  mine  elect  shall  long 
enjoy  the  work  of  their  hands." 2 

The  miracles  of  Christ  have  this  same  signifi- 
cance. The  Son  of  man  must  show  Himself 
Lord  of  the  external  physical  world  in  order  to 
bring  out  its  significance  and  the  ultimate  domi- 

1  Isaiah  Iv,  13.  4  Isaiah  Ixv,  19-22. 


90  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

nation  of  man.  The  miracles  puzzle  many,  but 
when  we  think  about  it  in  this  light  we  must 
see  that  the  life  of  the  Messiah  would  have  been 
strangely  incomplete  without  them.  This  must  be 
felt  by  all  who  think  deeply  on  social  righteous- 
ness and  its  results.  The  teachings  of  the 
French  socialist,  Fourier,  are  instructive  at  this 
point.  These  teachings  are  wild  and  erratic  in 
many  particulars.  They  contain  much  chaff,  but 
in  the  chaff  we  find  valuable  grains  of  wheat. 
Fourier  predicted  a  happy  social  state  to  con- 
tinue long  in  the  future,  and  he  prophesied  that 
in  this  state  lions  should  become  servitors  of  man, 
drawing  his  chariot  hundreds  of  miles  in  a  single 
day,  that  whales  should  draw  his  ships  across  the 
great  deep,  while  the  ocean  itself  would  become  a 
delightful  beverage.1 

We  laugh  at  these  crude  fantasies,  yet  there  is 
in  them  the  sound  thought  indicated. 

But  we  have  in  all  this  only  the  teachings  of 
history  and  the  revelations  of  natural  science. 
National  wickedness  has  repeatedly  turned  fruit- 
ful plains  into  deserts  and  social  righteousness  is 
capable  of  turning  barren  wastes  once  more  into 
smiling  gardens. 

Yet  there  is  the  great  fact  of  self-denial  and 
self-renunciation — "  the  first  condition  of  all 
really  great  moral  excellence."  And  this  fact, 

1  Ely,  French  and  German  Socialism,  pp.  88,  89. 


The  Social  Law  of  Service.  91 

stern  and  unrelenting,  so  far  from  anywhere  in 
the  New  Testament  being  concealed,  is  thrust 
— at  times  it  would  seem  almost  with  unnatural 
violence — into  the  foreground  of  the  entire  Gos- 
pel message. 

Why  did  Christ  Himself  suffer  ?  Why  was  He, 
although  keenly  appreciative  of  the  beauties  of 
nature  and  social  in  His  disposition,  loving  to 
eat  and  drink  with  His  friends — why  was  He  "  a 
man  of  sorrows  and  acquainted  with  grief?"1 
These  words  contain  the  explanation  :  "  And 
I,  if  I  be  lifted  up,  will  draw  all  men  unto  Me." 
Ah,  the  sacrifice  of  Christ  had  an  object  outside 
of  Himself.  It  was  not  sacrifice  for  sacrifice' 
sake,  but  sacrifice  for  others'  sake.  Because 
Christ  loved  men  with  an  infinite  yearning  love, 
He  died  for  men.  Love  was  the  ground  of 
sacrifice.  "  God  is  love."  This  is  the  secret  of 
Christian  self-denial,  and  asceticism,  whatever 
its  external  resemblance,  is  its  perversion.  It  is 
like  the  perversion  of  charity,  in  the  lower  sense 
of  the  word  charity ;  that  is  to  say,  almsgiving. 
Men  first  gave  to  benefit  their  fellows,  then  later, 
in  the  time  of  the  perversion,  to  benefit  them- 
selves by  accumulating  thereby,  as  it  was  sup- 
posed, heavenly  treasures  ;  but  when  the  true  end 

1  Those  persons  who  think  they  imitate  Christ  in  merely 
wearing  long  faces,  miss  the  mark  widely.  It  was  the  intense 
sympathy  of  Christ  which  made  Him  sad. 


92  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

of  charity  was  lost  sight  of,  it  became  a  curse  and 
not  a  blessing  to  the  world.  It  is  not  said  that 
a  proper  motive  in  giving  is  not  the  benefit 
which  may  come  to  one's  character,  but  a  true 
saint  will  scarcely  think  of  this,  but  only  of  those 
to  whom  he  hopes  to  minister,  because  he  loves 
them  as  children  of  a  common  Father.  The 
self-motive  is  altogether  subordinate.  Likewise 
it  is  not  claimed  that  self-denial  should  not  be 
practiced  for  the  sake  of  character-culture,  and 
we  may  admit  an  educational  value  in  asceticism, 
though  we  claim  the  same  end  can  otherwise  be 
reached  and  that  by  methods  more  in  harmony 
with  the  teachings  of  Christ. 

Asceticism,  indeed,  often  grows  out  of  self- 
sacrifice.  Men  go  without  for  the  sake  of  others ; 
then,  later,  they  lose  their  love  for  others  and 
continue  their  self-denial  as  if  there  were  virtue 
in  that  of  itself.  The  spirit  is  gone,  the  lifeless 
form  alone  remains.  Thus  asceticism  has  often 
displaced  love  to  others  and  become  intensely 
cruel. 

Love  leads  to  self-sacrifice  of  necessity,  as 
we  see  in  the  lives  of  those  who  have  manifested 
in  a  marked  degree  generous  love  for  men.  The 
biography  of  the  seventh  Earl  of  Shaftesbury 
shows  us  this  ;  also,  the  biography  of  two  Ameri- 
can women,  the  Grimke  sisters.1  These  sisters 

1  The  Sisters  Grimke,  a  Biography,  by  Catherine  H.  Birney. 


The  Social  Law  of  Service.  93 

illustrated  the  motto  on  the  title-page  of  the 
book  in  which  is  recorded  the  story  of  their 
lives :  "  The  glory  of  all  glories  is  the  glory  of 
self-sacrifice."  At  first  sacrifice  with  them  found 
a  basis  in  asceticism.  It  was  thought  well 
pleasing  to  God  that  they  should  deny  them- 
selves without  any  human  motive  or  aim  external 
to  themselves.  This  early  period  of  their  history 
finds  expression  in  many  passages  in  the  book. 
Sarah  Grimke  writes:  "  I  went  to  meeting,  and 
it  being  a  rainy  day  I  took  a  large,  handsome 
umbrella  which  I  had  accepted  from  brother 
Henry,  accepted  doubtfully,  therefore  wrong- 
fully, and  have  never  felt  quite  easy  to  use  it, 
which,  however,  I  have  done  a  few  times.  After 
I  was  in  meeting  I  was  much  tried  by  a  wander- 
ing mind,  and  every  now  and  then  the  umbrella 
would  come  before  me,  so  that  I  sat  trying  to 
wait  on  my  God,  and  He  showed  me  that  I  must 
not  only  give  up  this  little  thing,  but  return  it 
to  my  brother."  After  other  reflections  she  adds, 
in  a  note :  "  This  little  sacrifice  was  made.  I 
sent  the  umbrella  with  an  affectionate  note  to 
brother,  and  believe  it  gave  him  no  offense  to 
have  it  returned,  and  sweet  has  been  the  recom- 
pense, even  peace." 

Angelina  says :  "  A  great  deal  of  my  finery, 
too,  I  have  put  beyond  the  reach  of  anyone." 
She  had  put  into  a  cushion  two  handsome  lace 


94  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

veils,  a  lace  flounce,  and  other  laces.  This  was 
done,  as  she  wrote  on  a  slip  of  paper  sewed  up  in 
the  cushion,  "  under  feelings  of  duty,  believing 
that  as  we  are  called  with  a  high  and  holy 
calling,  and  forbidden  to  adorn  these  bodies,  but 
to  wear  the  ornament  of  a  meek  and  quiet 
spirit,  as  we  have  ourselves  laid  (in  this  cushion) 
these  superfluities  of  naughtiness,  so  we  should 
not  in  any  measure  contribute  to  the  destroying 
of  others ;  "  that  is,  by  allowing  others  to  wear 
all  this  finery.  The  sisters  wanted  at  this  time 
by  such  means  to  separate  themselves  from  the 
world  and  condemn  it.  Angelina  was  troubled 
by  a  cashmere  mantle  which  had  cost  a  sum 
which  then  seemed  large  to  her,  and  cut  the 
trimming  off;  but  this  did  not  suit  her,  and  she 
finally  decided  never  to  wear  it  again  although 
she  had  at  the  time  no  money  to  replace  it  with 
anything  else. 

Soon,  however,  we  perceive  other  motives, 
motives  of  an  altruistic  nature,  appearing  as  the 
ground  of  self-sacrifice.  Angelina  writes  in  her 
diary  at  a  somewhat  later  date  than  the  time  of 
the  last  quotation  :  "  It  is  not  only  the  food  I 
eat  at  mother's,  but  the  whole  style  of  living  is  a 
direct  departure  from  the  simplicity  that  is  in 
Christ.  The  Lord's  poor  tell  me  that  they  do 
not  like  to  come  to  such  a  fine  house  to  see  me; 
and  if  they  come,  instead  of  reading  a  lesson  of 


The  Social  Law  of  Service.  95 

frugality  and  deadness  to  the  world,  they  must 
go  away  lamenting  the  inconsistency  of  a  sister 
professor.  One  thing  is  very  hard  to  bear.  I 
feel  obliged  to  pay  five  dollars  a  week  for  board 
[then  a  much  larger  sum  than  now],  though  I 
disapprove  of  this  extravagance,  and  am  actually 
accessory  in  maintaining  this  style  of  living,  and 
am  therefore  prevented  from  giving  to  the  poor 
as  liberally  as  I  would  like." 

It  was  not,  however,  until  these  sisters  were 
aroused  to  the  wrong  of  slavery,  and  began  to  take 
a  part  in  the  abolition  movement,  that  the  full 
measure  of  their  capabilities  for  self-sacrifice  ap- 
peared, and  then  self-sacrifice  found  its  true  basis 
in  love  for  others.  They  lived  a  life  of  self-sac- 
rifice then  because,  loving  others  and  perceiving 
the  needs  of  others,  they  could  not  do  otherwise. 
They  with  all  their  resources  were  dedicated  to 
what  they  deemed  a  holy  cause,  and  every  cent 
saved  from  personal  expenditure  was  a  cent  to 
be  used  to  help  others.  They  had,  indeed,  a 
"love-purse,"  as  it  was  called,  into  which  such 
savings  were  dropped.  These  sisters  Grimke 
were  the  daughters  of  Judge  Grimke",  of  Charles- 
ton, S.  C.,  and  were  brought  up  like  young  ladies 
in  the  best  Southern  social  circles.  Only  those 
who  know  what  this  means  can  appreciate  the  self- 
sacrifice  in  them  when  they  lived  in  a  rude  little 
cottage  in  New  Jersey,  across  the  Hudson  from 
7 


96  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

New  York,  and  did  their  own  housework,  dress- 
ing simply,  while  the  husband  of  one  of  the  sis- 
ters, Theodore  Weld,  wore  noticeably  coarse 
clothing,  which  he  thought  might  have  cost  him 
nearly  one  hundred  dollars  one  year,  when  he  was 
traveling  and  lecturing,  and  the  whole  of  one  suit 
and  part  of  another  were  destroyed  by  mobs. 
Listen  to  a  few  quotations  from  letters.  Sarah 
writes  :  "  We  can  make  good  bread,  and  this  with 
milk  is  an  excellent  meal.  This  week  I  am  cook, 
and  am  writing  .this  while  my  beans  are  boiling 
and  pears  stewing  for  dinner."  Angelina  writes 
at  another  time  :  "  As  to  how  I  have  made  out 
with  cooking,  it  so  happens  that  labor  (planting  a 
garden)  gives  Theodore  such  an  appetite  that 
everything  is  sweet  to  him,  so  that  my  rice  and 
asparagus,  potatoes,  mush,  and  Indian  bread,  all 
taste  well,  though  some  might  not  think  them  fit 
to  eat."  Shortly  after  her  marriage  to  Mr.  Weld, 
Angelina  wrote :  "  We  ordered  our  furniture  to 
be  made  of  cherry,  and  quite  enjoy  the  cheap- 
ness of  our  outfit,  for  the  less  we  spend  the  less 
the  Antislavery  Society  will  have  to  pay  my 
Theodore  for  his  labors." 

Does  it  not  become  apparent  that  this  repre- 
sents the  spirit  which  must  of  necessity  animate 
all  Christians  ?  No  one  can  love  his  fellows  truly 
and  waste  any  resources. 

Now  this  parallel  between  charity  and  asceti- 


The  Social  Law  of  Service.  97 

cism,  to  which  allusion  has  already  been  made,  is 
instructive  in  another  sense.  Men  saw  the  evils 
connected  with  perverted  charity,  and  said : 
"  Charity  is  a  bad  thing.  Gifts  are  bad  things. 
One  may  sell  things,  but  may  not  without  injury 
give  them  away.  Self-seeking  is  a  beneficent 
social  law."  Thus  men  substitute  the  teachings 
of  Satan  for  the  commands  of  Christ.  Without 
love  we  may  not,  it  is  true,  give  to  our  fellows 
and  benefit  them. 

Likewise  in  our  day  men,  perceiving  the  ex- 
cesses of  asceticism,  and  the  cruel  selfishness 
which  has  too  often  accompanied  it,  and  even 
been  a  part  of  it,  have  acquiesced  silently  or 
openly  in  self-indulgence.  Give  nothing  with- 
out a  valuable  equivalent,  and  enjoy  all  that  your 
resources  permit  you  to  enjoy — this  is  the  log- 
ical conclusion  of  much  that  passes  for  Christian 
teaching. 

No  earnest  man  is  to-day  satisfied  with  the  in- 
fluence of  the  Christian  Church.  Its  members 
are  not  leading  the  life  which  is  expected  of  them. 
It  may  or  may  not  be  true  that  they  are  better 
than  they  have  been  in  former  ages,  but  we  are 
still  sadly  far  behind  the  mark.  Under  present 
circumstances  what  is  particularly  needed  is  for 
us  to  take  home  to  ourselves  the  doctrine  of 
Christian  self-sacrifice.  To  renounce  "  the  devil 
and  all  his  works,  the  vain  pomp  and  glory  of  the 


98  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

world,  with  all  covetous  desires  of  the  same,  and 
the  sinful  desires  of  the  flesh,  so  as  not  to  follow 
or  be  led  by  them,"  is  a  very  real  thing  and  a 
very  great  sacrifice.  It  is  a  cross  which  only  the 
love  of  Christ  can  make  an  easy  burden.  Our 
resources  of  every  sort,  time,  strength  of  body 
and  mind,  and  our  economic  resources,  are  all 
limited,  and,  however  great  they  may  be,  love 
will  show  us  how  we  can  use  all  to  the  last 
minute  of  time  and  the  last  farthing  of 
money  for  the  promotion  of  the  welfare  of  hu- 
manity. 

Let  us  consider  a  few  quotations  from  great 
thinkers  who  are  strongly  impressed  with  the 
necessity  of  self-sacrifice,  and  the  testimony  for 
present  purposes  is  perhaps  all  the  more  valu- 
able because  so  many  of  them  profess  slight 
allegiance  to  Christianity.  Says  Carlyle :  "  It  is 
only  with  renunciations  that  life  properly  speak- 
ing can  be  said  to  begin." '  .  .  . 

"  In  a  valiant  suffering  for  others,  not  in  a 
slothful  making  others  suffer  for  us,  did  noble- 
ness ever  lie."  * 

George  Sand  uses  these  words  :  "  There  is  only 
one  sole  virtue  in  the  world — the  eternal  sacrifice 
of  self." 

1  Sartor  Resartus,  quoted  by  Bishop  Boyd  Carpenter  in  his 
Permanent  Element  of  Religion,  pp.  350,  351. 
3  Past  and  Present. 


The  Social  Law  of  Service.  99 

George  Eliot  sings : 

"  May  I  reach 

That  purest  heaven  ;  be  to  other  souls 
The  cup  of  strength  in  some  great  agony. 

So  shall  I  join  the  choir  invisible, 

Whose  music  is  the  gladness  of  the  world." 

Another  writer  '  expresses  himself  as  follows  : 
"  You  talk  of  self  as  the  motive  to  exertion  ;  I 
tell  you  it  is  the  abnegation  of  self  which  has 
wrought  out  all  that  is  noble,  all  that  is  good,  all 
that  is  useful,  nearly  all  that  is  ornamental,  in 
the  world." 

Our  American  philosopher,  Emerson,  says: 
"  A  man  was  born,  not  for  prosperity,  but  to 
suffer  for  the  benefit  of  others,  like  the  noble 
rock-maple,  which  all  round  our  villages  bleeds 
for  the  service  of  man." a 

Let  us  hear  the  great  German,  the  poet 
Goethe :  "  Everything  cries  out  to  us  that  we 
must  renounce.  Thou  must  go  without,  go  with- 
out !  That  is  the  everlasting  song  which  every 
hour,  all  our  life  through,  hoarsely  sings  to  us : 
Die,  and  come  to  life ;  for  so  long  as  this  is  not 
accomplished  thou  art  but  a  troubled  guest  upon 
an  earth  of  gloom." 3 

Matthew  Arnold,  from  whom  these  last  quota- 

1  Whyte  Melville,  Bones  and  I. 
4  Emerson,  Method  of  Nature. 
3M.  Arnold,  Literature  and  Dogma,  pp.  186,  187. 


100  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

tions  are  taken,  expounds  these  words  of  Jesus : 
"  He  that  loveth  his  life  shall  lose  it;  and  he  that 
hateth  his  life  in  this  world  shall  keep  it  unto  life 
eternal."  "  Whosoever  will  come  after  Me,  let  him 
renounce  himself,  and  take  up  his  cross  daily,  and 
follow  Me."  He  tells  us  that  these  words  con- 
tain the  secret  of  Jesus,  and  says :  "  Perhaps 
there  is  no  other  maxim  of  Jesus  which  has  such 
a  combined  stress  of  evidence  for  it,  and  may  be 
taken  as  so  eminently  His."  This  is  the  secret 
by  which  His  Gospel,  says  Arnold,  brought  life 
and  immortality  to  light,  and  it  is  repeated  by 
each  one  of  the  four  gospel  writers. 

The  writer  has  often  thought  of  a  remark  made 
by  a  principal  of  a  Normal  School  in  a  New  Eng- 
land State.  This  principal  was  a  lady  who  had 
been  brought  up  in  the  strict  ways  of  a  religious 
denomination  which  in  her  childhood  was  in- 
clined to  be  severe  in  many  of  its  requirements, 
but  she  had  changed  with  the  change  of  her 
church  and  had  become  liberal  in  her  views.  She 
asked  one  day,  "  Why  is  it  that  when  I  want  a 
faithful  teacher  in  my  school,  I  seek  a  young 
woman  brought  up  in  the  old  strict  ways  in  which 
I  myself  no  longer  believe  ?" 

Do  we  not  come,  in  what  has  been  said,  to  the 
root  of  the  difficulty  ?  It  is  better  for  men  to  be 
called  upon  even  by  superstition  and  false  reli- 
gion to  make  self-sacrifice,  than  to  lead  a  life  of 


The  Social  Law  of  Service.  101 

self-indulgence;  and  a  certain  so-called  liberaliz- 
ing tendency  in  all  the  churches  has  been  over- 
inclined  to  say  simply:  Thou  mayest  do  this, 
thou  mayest  do  that ;  go  to  the  theater,  dance, 
play  cards,  enjoy  a  good  horse  race,  etc.  Now, 
if  this  teaching  be  true,  it  is  only  half  of  the 
truth.  We  need  not  now  enter  into  the  question 
of  dancing,  card  playing,  etc.  If  the  reader  ob- 
jects to  these,  he  will  see  an  argument  in  what 
has  been  said  for  his  convictions.  If  the  reader 
regards  these  as  innocent  recreations,  then  he 
will,  perhaps,  be  more  keenly  aware  than  before 
how  near  to  their  use  is  their  abuse.  If  the  old 
restrictions  are  removed,  new  ones  equally,  nay, 
more  severe,  are  raised  by  the  duty  to  love  and 
serve  our  fellows,  and  to  make  of  the  earth  God's 
kingdom. 

A  young  lad,  full  of  the  enthusiasm  of  humanity 
and  eager  for  self-sacrifice,  once  said :  "  Father,  I 
almost  feel  sorry  that  slavery  has  been  abolished, 
and  that  I  can  have  no  part  in  that  struggle." 
Alas !  evils  still  exist,  evils  as  bad  as  slavery,  and 
those  who  fight  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the 
devil  will  still  have  opportunity  to  suffer.  Fre- 
quently men  will  not  speak  well  of  them,  but 
will  turn  them  the  cold  shoulder,  will  malign, 
slander,  and  persecute  them.  Christ  said  to  the 
men  of  His  day:  "Woe  unto  you!  for  ye  build 
the  sepulchers  of  the  prophets,  and  your  fathers 


102  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

killed  them.' ' '  These  words  express  a  permanent 
historical  truth.  We  are  all  brave  with  respect 
to  the  struggles  of  the  past,  and  we  honor  the 
memory  of  those  we  would  have  helped  to  per- 
secute had  we  lived  in  their  day.  When  the 
twentieth  century  is  well  advanced,  it  may  be 
found  that  we  have  been  stoning  those  to  whom 
our  children  will  then  be  erecting  monuments. 
The  world  advances,  true,  and  in  some  respects 
it  is  easier  to  do  good  than  before,  but  there  is 
still  no  lack  of  opportunity  to  suffer.  The  cross 
is  still  a  reality. 

The  Roman  Catholic  Church  provides  oppor- 
tunities for  self-renunciation  the  most  complete. 
To  Protestants  this  often  appears  worse  than  use- 
less ;  but  it  is,  nevertheless,  one  source  of  its 
strength.  May  not  our  own  Protestant  churches 
return  from  one  of  the  mistakes  of  Protestant- 
ism, and  in  orders  of  deaconesses,  brotherhoods, 
sisterhoods,  and  associations  of  lay  worshipers 
provide  a  fruitful  channel  into  which  self-sacrifi- 
cing efforts  can  flow  to  the  glory  of  God  and  the 
good  of  our  fellow-men  ?  Let  us,  at  any  rate, 
see  to  it  that  for  us  religion  is  something  more 
than  a  "  graceful  and  pleasing  appendix  to  life." 

J  Luke  xi,  47. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  SOCIAL  SIGNIFICANCE  OF 

BAPTISM  AND  THE  LORD'S 

SUPPER. 


"  IT  is  to  be  noted,  that  whereas  nothing  in  this  life  is  more 
acceptable  before  God,  or  more  pleasant  unto  man,  than  Chris- 
tain  people  to  live  together  quietly  in  love  and  peace,  unity  and 
concord,  this  sacrament  doth  most  aptly  and  effectuously  move 
us  thereunto.  For  when  we  be  made  all  partakers  of  this  one 
table,  what  ought  we  to  think,  but  that  we  be  all  members  of 
one  spiritual  body,  whereof  Christ  is  the  head;  that  we  be  joined 
together  in  one  Christ,  as  a  great  number  of  grains  of  corn  be 
joined  together  in  one  loaf  ?  Surely,  they  have  very  hard  and 
stony  hearts,  which  with  these  things  be  not  moved  ;  and  more 
cruel  and  unreasonable  be  they  than  brute  beasts,  that  cannot 
be  persuaded  to  be  good  to  their  Christian  brethren  and  neigh- 
bors, for  whom  Christ  suffered  death,  when  in  this  sacrament 
they  be  put  in  remembrance  that  the  Son  of  God  bestowed  His 
life  for  His  enemies.  For  we  see  by  daily  experience,  that  eat- 
ing and  drinking  together  maketh  friends,  and  continueth  friend- 
ship ;  much  more  then  ought  the  table  of  Christ  to  move  us  so  to 
do." — Archbishop  Cranmer,  on  The  Lord's  Supper,  Parker  Soci- 
ety Publications ,  pp.  42,  43. 


Of  Baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper.      105 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  SOCIAL    SIGNIFICANCE    OF    BAPTISM    AND  THE 
LORD'S  SUPPER. 

IT  is  a  strange  thing  how  we  forget  one  half  of 
the  Gospel  message,  and  precisely  that  half 
which  Christ  emphasized.  We  slur  it  over,  and 
do  not  perceive  its  import  when  we  read  the 
Bible.  Having  eyes  we  see  not,  having  ears  we 
hear  not,  the  true  tests  of  Christianity.  Herein 
is  revealed  the  marvelous  nature  of  Christianity. 
All  religions  exalt  a  superior  being,  or  at  any  rate 
profess  to  exalt  a  superior  being,  but  as  we  have 
already  seen  it  is  a  distinctive  feature  of  Christ's 
teaching  that  Man  is  exalted — man  created  a  lit- 
tle lower  than  the  angels — "  a  little  lower  than 
God,"  we  are  told  is  the  correct  translation. 

The  beloved  Apostle  John  plunges  into  the 
heart  of  Christ's  doctrine  when  he  affirms,  "  If  a 
man  say,  I  love  God,  and  hateth  his  brother,  he 
is  a  liar :  for  he  that  loveth  not  his  brother 
whom  he  hath  seen,  how  can  he  love  God  whom 
he  hath  not  seen  ?"  St.  Paul  ventures  to  affirm, 
"  The  whole  law  is  fulfilled  in  one  word,  even  in 
this  :  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself." 


106  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

The  first  great  commandment  is  not  mentioned 
in  this  place  by  St.  Paul,  whereas  Christ  and  his 
apostles  nowhere  sum  up  all  the  law  without 
mentioning  the  second.  It  is  as  if  the  first  were 
something  assumed — something  which  could  be 
assumed  as  a  mere  matter  of  course,  but  as  if 
the  second  were  something  which  needed  per- 
petual emphasis,  and  must  ever  again  and  again 
be  brought  forward  as  the  test  of  a  Christ-life. 

Such  a  view  has  been  confirmed  by  the  entire 
history  of  the  Christian  Church.  Men  have  been 
ever  ready  to  substitute  alleged  service  to  God  for 
true  service  to  man,  and  have  employed  a  multi- 
tude of  devices  to  reconcile  cruelty  and  neglect 
of  one's  fellows  with  membership  in  the  body  of 
Christ.  Vain  effort !  How  painfully,  in  the  great 
day  of  judgment  which  must  come  to  every  soul, 
will  the  veil  pretense  be  torn  away!  "Lord, 
Lord,"  will  many  a  one  say — "  Lord,  Lord,  have 
we  not  been  zealous  champions  of  orthodox 
creeds  ;  have  we  not  made  long  prayers  ;  have  we 
not  attended  the  regular  services  of  the  church ; 
have  we  not  said  our  verses  and  told  our  experi- 
ences in  our  meetings  ;  did  we  not  lead  Epworth 
Leagues  and  Societies  of  Christian  Endeavor?" 
But  then  the  neglected  portions  of  the  Gospel 
will  come  into  the  consciousness  and  burn  like 
flames  of  fire — neglected  portions,  such  as  these  : 
"  Pure  religion  and  undefiled  before  God  and  the 


Of  Baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper.      107 

Father  is  this,  To  visit  the  fatherless  and  widows 
in  their  affliction,  and  to  keep  himself  unspotted 
from  the  world."  .  .  .  "  Therefore,  to  him  that 
knoweth  to  do  good  " — to  him  that  hath  abun- 
dance and  useth  this  abundance  for  himself, 
while  neglected  children  die  needlessly  by  the 
hundred  thousand  in  the  slums  of  the  cities ; 
to  him  that  useth  his  resources  for  luxurious  self- 
indulgence,  while  untold  thousands  of  young 
people  are  growing  up  in  our  lands  without 
wholesome  physical,  mental,  and  spiritual  food, 
hurrying  forward  on  the  road  to  perdition  ;  to 
him  that  exalted  himself  so  above  others  that  he 
spendethhis  substance  for  superfluities  while  oth- 
ers lack  the  things  necessary  to  worthy  human 
life — "to  him  that  knoweth  to  do  good,  but 
doeth  it  not,  to  him  it  is  sin."  And  how  will  a 
passage  like  this  one  day  burn  into  the  souls  of 
some  who  talk  to  us  about  the  "  simple  Gospel  of 
Christ,"  meaning  thereby  an  emasculated  gospel 
which  extends  only  to  public  worship  and  not  to 
the  markets  of  the  world,  where  they  claim  self- 
interest  rightly  reigns  supreme  :  "  Woe  unto 
you,  .  .  .  for  ye  devour  widows'  houses,  and  for  a 
pretense  make  long  prayer :  therefore  ye  shall 
receive  the  greater  damnation?" 

We  have  in  this  passage  just  quoted  the  con- 
demnation of  positive  wrongdoing  to  our  neigh- 
bor. But,  as  we  have  already  seen,  the  severest 


108  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

words  are  reserved  for  simple  neglect  to  serve  our 
fellows  in  need :  "  I  was  an  hungered,  and  ye 
gave  me  no  meat." 

The  social  side  of  Christianity  is  not  something 
which  may  be  neglected  or  not.  The  manward 
aspects  of  Christianity  are  an  essential  part  of  it 
— an  essential  part,  without  which  it  cannot  ex- 
ist. Some  Christians  speak,  and  most  Christians 
act,  as  if  philanthropy  were  a  sort  of  ornamental 
appendage  to  Christianity,  pleasing  enough  if  it 
exists,  but  something  apart  from  its  very  essence. 
And  some,  wiser  than  Christ,  even  claim  this  in 
so  many  words ;  but  Christ  and  His  apostles 
teach  that  philanthropy  is  more  than  a  cloak ; 
more  than  garments  to  protect ;  even  more  than 
food  to  nourish  ;  that  it  is  a  part  of  the  very 
being  of  Christianity. 

Our  poets  and  sages  have  often  enough  told  us 
this,  but  we  have  viewed  them  with  suspicion, 
and  have  been  ready  to  bring  charges  of  heresy 
against  them  when  they  have  repeated  to  us 
Christ-words. 

What  does  James  Russell  Lowell  tell  us  ? 

"  He's  true  to  God  who's  true  to  man  ;  wherever  wrong  is  done 
To  the  humblest  and  the  weakest  'neath  the  self-beholding  sun, 
That  wrong  is  done  to  us." 

Listen  to  Ruskin,  who  follows  his  condemna- 
tion, "  You  might  sooner  get  lightning  out  of 
incense  smoke  than  true  action  or  passion  out 


Of  Baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper.      109 

of  your  modern  English  religion,"  with  this 
definition  of  a  true  Church  :  "  Wherever  one 
hand  meets  another  helpfully,  that  is  the  holy 
mother  Church  which  ever  is  or  ever  shall  be." 

Certainly  no  true  definition  of  the  Church  can 
be  less  inclusive.  A  true  definition  of  the 
Church  may  be  more  inclusive — doubtless  is 
more  inclusive — but  not  less  conclusive. 

The  effect  of  dwelling  chiefly  on  the  theological 
and  neglecting  the  social  side  of  Christianity  is 
observed  in  inadequate  ideas  touching  Bap- 
tism and  the  Lord's  Supper.  Rarely  is  their 
social  significance  brought  out,  and  it  is  not  at 
present  deeply  impressed  on  the  consciousness 
of  the  Christian  Church.  It  is  not  a  part  of  the 
ordinary  and  habitual  thought  of  Christians  re- 
specting these  sacraments.  Yet  their  social 
significance  is  most  marked.  It  is  no  new  dis- 
covery, for  it  has  been  present  in  the  minds  and 
hearts  of  Christians  as  a  mighty  power.  Even 
now  it  is  not  entirely  forgotten,  but  it  has 
rather,  as  it  were,  fallen  out  of  the  Christian  con- 
sciousness of  modern  times ;  it  has,  if  we  may 
use  the  expression,  become  subconscious,  and 
although  now  and  again  temporarily  brought 
forward  into  the  consciousness,  it  has  lost  its  due 
relative  importance  for  us.  This  social  signifi- 
cance is  fraternity. 

A  few  words  only  will  be  said  about  Baptism, 


110  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

and  that  for  several  reasons.  One  is  that  the 
social  significance  of  the  Lord's  Supper  is  per- 
haps more  marked  ;  another,  that  Baptism  is  a 
topic  which  theological  differences  have  made 
more  difficult  of  treatment  on  its  social  side. 
But  whatever  views  we  hold  respecting  the  sig- 
nificance of  Baptism  on  its  Godward  side,  it 
cannot  be  overlooked  that  it  has  its  social  mean- 
ing. It  is  the  method  whereby  we  enter  into 
relations  with  our  fellows  and  form  the  Church 
of  Christ.  "  All  one  body  we,"  but  it  is  through 
the  doorway  of  Baptism  that  we  enter  into  the 
visible  Church.  All  men  are  brothers,  but 
among  those  thus  connected  there  is  a  peculiarly 
closer  relation.  But  the  broader  relations  must 
not  be  overlooked.  As  has  been  well  said  by 
one  valued  highly  by  multitudes  in  all  religious 
denominations  :  "  Baptism  is  a  visible  witness  to 
the  world  of  that  which  the  world  is  forever  for- 
getting— a  common  humanity  united  in  God. 
Baptism  authoritatively  reveals  and  pledges  to 
the  individual  that  which  is  true  of  the  race." ' 
The  splendid  declaration  of  solidarity  in  Christ 
which  the  Apostle  Paul  makes  in  the  Epistle  to 
the  Galatians2  is  connected  with  baptism,  al- 
though this  is  often  overlooked :  "  For  as  many 
of  you  as  have  been  baptized  into  Christ  have 

1  Rev.  F.  W.  Robertson,  Sermons,  p.  274. 

2  Galatians  iii,  26  29. 


Of  Baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper.       Ill 

put  on  Christ.  There  is  neither  Jew  nor  Greek, 
there  is  neither  bond  nor  free,  there  is  neither 
male  nor  female  :  for  ye  are  all  one  in  Christ 
Jesus." 

And  may  we  not  for  a  moment  turn  our  atten- 
tion to  infant  baptism?  For  those  who  do 
not  hold  that  baptism  works  a  change  in  the  in- 
fant baptized,  has  not  the  baptism  of  infants 
chiefly  a  social  significance  —  a  significance 
which  is  something  added  to  its  deeper  meaning 
for  those  who  accept  the  doctrine  of  baptismal 
regeneration  ?  It  would  seem  that  here  we  have 
a  common  standing  ground  for  all  those  who 
hold  to  infant  baptism,  and  one  which  may  ren- 
der this  institution  more  precious  than  it  is  now 
in  the  eyes  of  many.  Infant  baptism  recalls  the 
fact  that  Christ  proposed  a  universal  kingdom  as 
successor  to  the  national  kingdom  of  the  Jews, 
and  that  as  circumcision  was  in  a  manner  natural- 
ization of  the  infant  in  the  national  kingdom,  so 
baptism  is  in  like  manner  naturalization  in  the 
universal  kingdom.  It  points  to  the  solidarity 
of  the  family  in  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  and  re- 
calls the  fact  that  the  first  converts  in  Europe 
were  families,  namely,  Lydia  and  her  household, 
the  jailer  and  all  his.  Like  Joshua  of  old,  the 
Christian  father  of  a  family  in  the  baptism  of  his 
infant  children  proclaims  to  the  world,  "As  for 

1  Bishop  B.  F.  Westcott,  The  Incarnation  and  Common  Life. 
8 


112  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

me  and  my  house,  we  will  serve  the  Lord."1 
Fortunately,  the  view  of  the  kingdom  of  God 
enunciated  in  this  book  by  no  means  depends 
upon  infant  baptism  alone,  for  among  those  who 
on  theological  grounds  reject  this  right  are  found 
many  strong  adherents  of  this  conception  of  the 
kingdom,  but  it  does  give  a  richer  and  fuller  signif- 
icance to  infant  baptism  for  other  Christians  who 
have  overlooked  its  import  of  solidarity  in  Christ. 
Turning  our  attention  to  the  Lord's  Supper, 
we  find  the  claim  made  that  bread  and  wine, 
rather  than  other  kinds  of  food  and  drink,  were 
chosen  by  Christ  because  they  typified  fraternity 
so  admirably  ;  many  grains  of  wheat  but  one 
loaf  of  bread,  "  for  we  being  many  are  one 
bread,"  writes  St.  Paul;  many  grapes  but  one 
cup  of  wine.  As  Archbishop  Cranmer  says  in 
the  quaint  language  of  his  time :  "  For  like 
as  bread  is  made  of  a  great  number  of  grains  of 
corn,  ground,  broken,  and  so  joined  together 
that  thereof  is  made  one  loaf;  and  an  infinite 
number  of  grapes  be  pressed  together  in  one 
vessel,  and  thereof  is  made  wine  ;  likewise  is  the 
whole  multitude  of  true  Christian  people  spir- 
itually joined,  first  to  Christ,  and  then  among 
themselves,  together  in  one  faith,  one  baptism, 
one  Holy  Spirit,  one  knot  and  bond  of  love."  a 

1  Joshua  xxiv,  15. 

s  Archbishop  Cranmer  on  The  Lord's  Supper,  p.  42. 


Of  Baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper.       113 

The  Godward  side  of  the  Lord's  Supper 
draws  us  to  heaven,  and  bids  us  contemplate 
in  humility  the  infinite  yearning  love  of  our 
Father  revealed  to  us  in  our  blessed  Lord  and 
Saviour,  and  so  to  receive  the  bread  and  wine  in 
remembrance  of  His  death  and  passion  "  that 
we  may  be  partakers  of  His  most  blessed  body 
and  blood."  l 

The  manward  side  of  the  Lord's  Supper 
draws  us  to  our  fellows  and  bids  us  love  men  as 
Christ  loved  men,  giving  ourselves  for  them 
even  to  the  extent  of  washing  workingmen's 
feet  in  our  passion  for  the  service  of  man  ;  bids 
us  spend  time  and  substance,  strength  of  body 
and  mental  faculties,  to  seek  and  save  the  lost. 

This  manward  side  of  the  Lord's  Supper 
when  it  becomes  real  will  inspire  Christians  with 
ceaseless  activity  for  the  redemption  of  the 
world — and  no  less  a  task  has  Christ  given  them 
— and  when  exhausted  by  labor  and  long  vigils 
they  contemplate  such  sights  as  we  can  see  in 
New  York  and  Chicago,  or  in  any  other  great 
town — ay,  even  in  the  country ;  ay,  even  in  many 
a  county  jail,  a  veritable  high  school  of  crime — 

1  The  writer  has  adhered  to  the  form  of  the  Ritual  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Other  Christians  may  believe 
more  than  is  implied  in  these  words,  but  not  less,  and  in  a 
work  of  this  kind  it  is  desirable  to  avoid,  so  far  as  possible,  even 
the  appearance  of  theological  differences. 


114  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

they  will  in  anguish  repeat  the  words  of  Christ, 
the  Infinite  Love,  "O  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem,  .  .  . 
how  often  would  I  have  gathered  thy  children 
together,  even  as  a  hen  gathereth  her  chickens 
under  her  wings,  but  ye  would  not !  " 

When  the  Lord's  table  is  spread,  brothers 
and  sisters  in  Christ  partake  of  a  common  meal — 
eat  from  the  same  plate,  drink  out  of  the  same 
cup — and  this  from  most  ancient  times  has  been 
regarded  both  as  symbolic  of  brotherhood  and 
promotive  of  brotherhood. 

To  partake  of  one's  salt,  to  break  bread  to- 
gether, are  terms  of  significance.  The  very 
savage  either  refuses  to  eat  with  his  enemy,  or 
first  lays  aside  his  enmity.  The  untamed  and 
cruel  Indian,  as  we  have  learned  in  many  a 
noble  and  touching  tale,  is  bound  to  him  at 
whose  table  and  with  whom  he  has  eaten. 

To  this  day  German  students  drink  "  Briider- 
schaft  " — brotherhood.  When  with  locked  arms 
they  drink  together,  they  no  longer  use  in 
addressing  each,  "  Sie "  (you),  which  is  the 
common  form  of  address  among  friends  and 
acquaintances,  but  ever  after  they  employ  "  Du  " 
(thou),  a  term  by  which  brothers  and  sisters 
and  intimate  friends  address  each  other.  Even 
after  this  single  ceremony  they  make  use  of  the 
terms  of  fraternity. 

Notice,  too,  that  the  violation  of  this  feeling  of 


Of  Baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper.       115 

fraternity  by  Judas,  one  who  sat  at  the  same 
table  with  Him,  seemed  to  add  a  new  pang  to 
our  Saviour's  woes:  "  He  that  eateth  bread  with 
me  hath  lifted  up  his  heel  against  me." 

The  Germans  have  a  term,  "  tafelfahig," 
worthy  to  sit  at  table  (on  state  occasions  at 
least).  "  Tafelfahig " — worthy  to  sit  at  the 
royal  table — is  a  high  distinction.  It  means 
a  long  line  of  distinguished  ancestry,  pure  blood, 
or  high  service  to  the  state.  Sitting  at  the  same 
table  elevates  one  as  it  were  to  a  fraternal  re- 
lation with  the  host  making  them  of  one  family. 
So  among  us  who  belong  to  the  more  ordinary 
humanity,  those  who  sit  at  a  common  table,  are, 
for  the  time  being  at  least,  in  our  social  circle, 
even  if  not  necessarily  equal.  But  relative 
equality  is  the  marked  feature,  and  in  the  great 
world  those  with  whom  we  cannot  mingle  as 
friends  do  not  sit  at  table  with  us. 

In  the  Lord's  Supper  we  sit  at  the  table  of 
Him  who  is  Lord  of  lords  and  King  of  kings, 
and  among  us  human  beings,  weak  and  erring 
human  beings,  "  miserable  sinners,"  equality 
swallows  up  inequality.  We,  so  far  below  Him 
in  power  and  holiness,  in  our  humility  and  peni- 
tence fail  to  recognize  what  must  then  appear  to 
be  insignificant  differences.  Let  not  the  prince 
presume  at  this  table  to  jostle  and  push  the 
beggar.  "My  brother,"  "  My  sister,"  these  words 


116  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

must  at  such  a  time  be  the  natural  mode  of 
address.  This  mode  of  address  undoubtedly 
arose  spontaneously,  but,  continued  in  absence 
of  a  spirit  of  fraternity,  became  such  a  hollow 
mockery  that  generallyeven  the  pretense  has  been 
dropped,1  and  too  often  nothing  distinguishes 
the  cold  formality  of  Christians  partaking  of  a 
common  meal  from  that  of  worldly  gatherings. 
Some  way  or  another,  whatever  progress  has 
been  made  in  other  respects,  there  has  been  sad 
retrogression  in  this  vital  matter  of  fraternity, 
when  we  compare  the  present  with  certain  earlier 
periods,  although  now  we  may  be — God  grant 
it ! — again  advancing  in  Christ-life  when  we  com- 
pare the  present  with  a  nearer  past. 

Yet,  what  can  be  more  disheartening  than  the 
use  of  individual  communion  cups  here  and  there? 
Is  not  the  meaning  of  the  Lord's  Supper  thereby 
half  lost?  Indeed,  may  we  not  say  that  to  the 
worldly-minded  this  innovation  must  seem  like  a 
caricature  of  the  sacrament?  The  loving-cup 
still  passes  from  mouth  to  mouth  in  many  a  social 
gathering  in  every  land,  and  signifies  fraternity 
outside  the  church,  but  within  the  church  hun- 
dreds of  little  glasses  on  huge  trays  are  carried 

1  Perhaps  the  practice  is  continued  more  generally  in  some  re- 
ligious denominations  than  others;  and  doubtless  is  more  fre- 
quent in  smaller  towns  than  in  the  great  cities  ;  doubtless  also 
more  common  among  poor  than  among  wealthy  Christians. 


Of  Baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper.       117 

about,  or  other  new  devices  are  employed  to 
avoid  what  is  after  all  little  more  than  an  imag- 
inary danger.  And  if,  after  all,  in  this  service  of 
Christ,  one  soldier  of  the  cross  among  ten  times 
ten  millions  should  perish — and  for  so  great  a 
danger  as  this  there  is  no  scientific  proof — what 
then  ?  Is  our  earthly  life  so  precious  that  it  must 
be  so  saved  at  all  hazards  ?  To  those  who  think 
so,  the  words  of  Christ  apply :  "  Whosoever  will 
save  his  life,  shall  lose  it." 

The  services  provided  in  Christian  churches 
for  the  administration  of  the  Lord's  Supper  by 
no  means  neglect  its  social  significance,  even  if 
this  is  not  always  brought  out  so  fully  as  some 
of  us  might  regard  as  desirable.  The  chief  fault 
to  be  found,  however,  is  with  the  neglect  by  us 
at  present  of  what  is  plainly  expressed  or  clearly 
implied  in  our  services.  Thus  the  Articles  of  Re- 
ligion, both  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  and  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Churches,  state  :  "  The  Supper 
of  the  Lord  is  not  only  a  sign  of  the  love  that 
Christians  ought  to  have  among  themselves  one 
to  another,  but  rather  is  a  sacrament  of  our  re- 
demption by  Christ's  death."  The  word  "  rather" 
lays  emphasis  upon  the  Godward  side  of  the 
Lord's  Supper,  but  this  by  no  means  justifies 
neglect  of  the  social  aspects  of  the  sacrament,  for 
these  aspects  are  expressly  mentioned  and  find 
emphasis  in  the  first  position  in  the  article  of  the 


118  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

words  calling  attention  to  them.  Furthermore, 
only  those  are  invited  to  partake  of  the  Lord's 
Supper  who  are  "  in  love  and  charity  with  their 
neighbors."  Why  ?  Because  love  is  the  essence 
of  the  sacrament,  and  among  us  men  love  is 
fraternity.  We  approach  God  in  the  sacrament 
of  the  Lord's  Supper  as  members  of  the  Christian 
Church  ;  that  is  to  say,  of  a  brotherhood.  Malice 
and  hatred  violate  the  sacrament.  Do  they  not 
crucify  afresh  the  Christ  ? 

Among  the  sentences  which  may  be  read  as 
part  of  the  service  is  this  (and  there  are  many 
others  like  it) :  "  Whoso  hath  this  world's 
goods,  and  seeth  his  brother  have  need,  and 
shutteth  up  his  bowels  of  compassion  from  him, 
how  dwelleth  the  love  of  God  in  him?"  Most 
appropriately  is  the  offertory  connected  with  the 
Lord's  Supper. 

Our  Hymnals,  however,  seem  to  be  more  re- 
mote from  the  full  and  perfect  doctrine  of  Christ 
than  our  Rituals  and  Prayer  Books,  for  in  the 
Hymnals,  under  the  heading,  "  The  Lord's  Sup- 
per," there  are  very  few  hymns  which  bring  out 
its  social  significance — fraternal  love. 

The  import  of  the  Lord's  Supper  has  been 
well-nigh  lost  to  many  Christians.  Both  its  theo- 
logical significance  and  social  significance  have  to 
too  many  well-nigh  disappeared.  Early  Chris- 
tians partook  of  the  Lord's  Supper  daily,  but  a 


Of  Baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper.      119 

leading  divine  of  a  great  religious  denomination 
said  publicly  that  he  did  not  attach  any  peculiar 
importance  to  this  sacrament.  This  illustrates 
the  danger  of  losing  sight  of  the  manward  aspects 
of  a  sacrament  of  the  Church. 

May  we  not  well  return  to  primitive  Christian- 
ity in  respect  to  the  Lord's  Supper?  May  it  not 
be  possible  so  to  order  its  observance  that  it  may 
be  more  like  a  common  meal,  with  ceremonies 
added  calculated  to  emphasize  the  idea  of  frater- 
nal love,  and  celebrate  more  frequently  than  most 
of  us  do  this  great  sacrament  ?  The  author  does 
not  venture  upon  anything  more  than  mere  sug- 
gestion at  this  point,  and  even  suggestion  he 
makes  with  diffidence.  Let  us,  at  any  rate,  re- 
store to  the  Lord's  Supper  in  our  minds  and  in 
our  hearts  and  in  our  practice  its  full  mean- 
ing, and  may  it  become  more  and  more  precious 
to  us ! 

We  all  know  the  legend  of  the  Holy  Grail.  It 
was  the  cup  out  of  which  Jesus  drank  wine  at  the 
last  supper  with  His  disciples.  It  is  related  that 
Joseph  of  Arimathea  brought  this  cup  to  Eng- 
land, where  it  long  remained  an  object  of  adora- 
tion, working  miracles,  restoring  health  to  the  dis- 
eased, and  bringing  blessing  to  those  who  made 
pilgrimages  to  it.  It  could  be  kept  only  by  the 
chaste  in  thought,  word,  and  deed,  and  one  of  the 
keepers,  a  lineal  descendant  of  Joseph  of  Arima- 


120  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

thea,  failing  to  preserve  this  requisite  chastity, 
the  cup  disappeared. 

Tennyson  relates  the  story  in  these  words  : 

''  The  cup,  the  cup  itself,  from  which  our  Lord 
Drank  at  the  last  sad  supper  with  his  own. 
This  from  the  blessed  land  of  Aromat 
After  the  day  of  darkness,  when  the  dead 
Went  wandering  o'er  Moriah — the  good  saint, 
Arimathean  Joseph,  journeying  brought 
To  Glastonbury,  where  the  winter  thorn 
Blossoms  at  Christmas,  mindful  of  our  Lord, 
And  there  a  while  it  bode  ;  and  if  a  man 
Could  touch  or  see  it,  he  was  healed  at  once, 
By  faith,  of  all  his  ills.     But  then  the  times 
Grew  to  such  evil  that  the  holy  cup 
Was  caught  away  to  Heaven,  and  disappeared." 

Knights  of  the  Round  Table  went  in  search 
of  the  Holy  Grail.  The  quest  of  Sir  Galahad 
is  described  by  Tennyson  in  what  our  own 
Lowell  calls  one  of  his  most  exquisite  poems. 
But  in  this  poem  Tennyson  missed  the  oppor- 
tunity which  Lowell  seized  in  his  beautiful 
poem,  "  The  Vision  of  Sir  Launfal."  Sir 
Launfal,  on  the  eve  of  going  in  search  of  the 
Holy  Grail,  has  a  vision,  and  in  this  vision  finds 
the  precious  treasure.  A  leper — and  in  the  vision 
leprosy  had  once  been  scorned  by  Sir  Launfal — 
begs  an  alms  "  for  Christ's  sweet  sake."  Sir 
Launfal  in  his  vision  had  then  become  "  an  old, 
bent  man,  worn  out  and  frail."  His  raiment  was 


Of  Baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper.       121 

"  thin  and  spare,"  and  himself  in  want,  he  replied 
to  the  leper : 

"  I  behold  in  thee 

An  image  of  Him  who  died  on  the  tree. 
Thou  also  hast  had  thy  crown  of  thorns, — 
Thou  also  hast  had  the  world's  buffets  and  scorns, — 
And  to  thy  life  were  not  denied. 
The  wounds  in  the  hands  and  feet  and  side  ; 
Mild  Mary's  Son  acknowledge  me  ; 
Behold,  through  Him,  I  give  to  thee." 

Sir  Launfal  "  parted  in  twain  his  single  crust," 
shared  his  all  with  the  beggar.  He  broke  the  ice 
on  a  stream  and  dipped  out  water  with  a  wooden 
bowl  and  gave  the  leper  to  drink. 

"  'Twasa  moldy  crust  of  coarse  brown  bread, 
'Twas  water  out  of  a  wooden  bowl, — 
Yet  with  fine  wheaten  bread  was  the  leper  fed, 
And  'twas  red  wine  he  drank  with  his  thirsty  soul." 

Thus  was  found  the  Holy  Grail.  Sir  Launfal 
partook  of  the  Lord's  Supper  and  through  the 
leper  had  entered  the  presence  of  his  Saviour, 
who  addressed  him  thus  : 

' '  Lo,  it  is  I ;  be  not  afraid ! 

In  many  climes  without  avail 

Thou  hast  spent  thy  life  for  the  Holy  Grail ; 

Behold  it  is  here,  this  cup  which  thou 

Didst  fill  at  the  streamlet  for  Me,  but  now ; 

This  crust  is  My  body  broken  for  thee, 

This  water  His  blood  that  died  on  the  tree  ; 

The  Holy  Supper  is  kept,  indeed, 

In  whatso  we  share  with  another's  need  ; 


122  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

Not  what  we  give,  but  what  we  share, 
For  the  gift  without  the  giver  is  bare  ; 
Who  gives  himself  with  his  alms  feeds  three, 
Himself,  his  hungering  neighbor,  and  Me." 

This  is  a  poet's  true  interpretation  of  sacred 
Scripture.  The  Holy  Grail  is  within  reach  of  us 
all.  When  we  worthily,  in  love  with  all  men,  in 
true  sacrificial  love,  partake  of  the  Lord's  Supper, 
giving  ourselves  to  Christ's  flock,  we  drink  from 
the  same  cup  out  of  which  Jesus  partook  of  the 
last  supper. 

Let  us  not  in  our  optimism,  in  our  hopefulness, 
be  blind  to  the  sin  and  misery  about  us,  and  so 
miss  the  opportunity  to  find  the  Holy  Grail,  the 
cup  of  love  and  of  sacrifice  for  us  as  well  as  for 
Christ.  Let  us  not  forget  that  millions  of  human 
beings  are  needlessly  sad,  needlessly  tormented 
and  tortured  daily ;  let  us  not  forget  the  multitudes 
who  even  now  in  this  present  life  are  perishing,  are 
losing  their  souls  ;  and  let  us,  when  we  partake  of 
the  Lord's  Supper,  ever  pray  that  we  may  be 
strengthened  to  walk  in  the  footsteps  of  Christ, 
loving  and  serving  men  as  He  did  ;  let  us  resolve 
to  let  no  day  pass  without  some  kind  act,  some- 
thing done  to  make  others  happier  and  better. 
Let  us  determine,  according  to  the  full  measure 
of  our  resources  of  body,  mind,  and  estate,  to  toil 
without  ceasing  for  the  coming  of  Christ's  king- 
dom. Let  us  bear  constantly  in  mind  the  clos- 


Of  Baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper.       123 

ing  acts  and  words  in  the  life  of  Him  whom  we 
call  Lord  and  Master,  namely,  the  Lord's  Supper 
with  His  twofold  significance,  its  Godward  and 
manward  aspects,  the  washing  of  feet,  and  such 
commands  as  these  :  "  If  I  then,  your  Lord  and 
Master,  have  washed  your  feet;  ye  also  ought  to 
wash  one  another's  feet.  For  I  have  given  you 
an  example,  that  ye  should  do  as  I  have  done  to 
you.  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  The  servant 
is  not  greater  than  his  Lord ;  neither  he  that  is 
sent  greater  than  He  that  sent  him.  If  ye  know 
these  things,  happy  are  ye  if  ye  do  them.  ...  A 
new  commandment  I  give  unto  you,  That  ye  love 
one  another  ;  as  I  have  loved  you,  that  ye  also 
love  one  another.  By  this  shall  all  men  know 
that  ye  are  My  disciples,  if  ye  have  love  one 
to  another."  ' 

1  St.  John  xiii,  14-17,  34,  35. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

SOCIAL  SOLIDARITY. 


"A  SOLITARY  individual,  in  no  way  connected  with  fellow- 
creatures,  would  have  as  little  opportunity  for  good  as  for  evil." 
— Baroness  von  Marenholtz-Bulow,  Barnard's  Kindergarten 
and  Child  Culture,  p.  209. 

"  What  depresses  the  standard  of  living  in  any  one  class, 
lowers  the  level  and  worth  of  life  throughout  the  community  as 
a  whole." — Rev.  A.  M.  Fairbairn,  D.D.,  Religion  in  History 
and  in  Modern  Life,  p.  8. 

"  God  tells  us  that  He  has  made  man  in  His  own  image  ;  not 
a  few  particular  men  who  are  different  from  their  kind,  but  the 
kind  itself.  And  he  assuredly  who  is  the  most  perfect  specimen 
of  it,  in  whom  the  divine  image  is  fully  manifested,  will  be  he 
who  is  most  entirely  at  one  with  the  whole  race,  who  the  least 
separates  himself  even  from  the  most  miserable  and  degraded 
portions  of  it." — F.  D.  Maurice,  Patriarchs  and  Lawgivers  of  the 
Old  Testament,  p,  323. 

"For  I  the  Lord  thy  God  am  a  jealous  God,  visiting  the  iniquity 
of  the  fathers  upon  the  children  unto  the  third  and  fourth  gen- 
eration of  them  that  hate  Me  ;  and  showing  mercy  unto  thousands 
of  them  that  love  Me,  and  keep  My  commandments." — Exodus 
xx,  5,  6. 


Social  Solidarity.  127 


CHAPTER  VI. 

SOCIAL    SOLIDARITY. 

NOTHING  in  that  associated  life  of  man 
which  we  call  society  is  more  remarkable 
than  social  solidarity.  Social  solidarity  is  a  prin- 
ciple which  underlies  a  large  proportion  of  all 
social  facts,  but  one  which  has  received  compar- 
atively little  attention,  and  which  is  probably 
grasped  in  its  full  import  by  no  one.  It  means 
so  much,  and  reaches  out  in  so  many  directions 
into  the  social  life  of  men,  that  it  is  difficult  to 
give  anything  like  an  adequate  idea  of  its  true 
significance.  Doubtless  we  must  know  more 
about  social  solidarity  than  we  do  before  it  will 
be  possible  to  frame  a  perfect  definition  of  this 
principle,  which  is  at  the  same  time  a  mighty 
social  force.  However,  there  are  some  things 
we  may  say  about  it. 

Social  solidarity  means  the  oneness  of  human 
interests ;  it  signifies  the  dependence  of  man 
upon  man,  both  in  good  things  and  in  evil 
things.  Social  solidarity  means  that  our  true 
welfare  is  not  an  individual  matter  purely,  but 

likewise  a  social  affair :  our  weal  is  common  weal ; 
9 


128  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

we  thrive  only  in  a  commonwealth  ;  our  exalta- 
tion is  the  exaltation  of  our  fellows,  their  eleva- 
tion is  our  enlargement.  Social  solidarity  im- 
plies not  only  fellowship  in  interests  and  respon- 
sibilities, but  that  unityin  nature  which  is  brought 
before  us  by  the  expression,  "  human  brother- 
hood." Social  solidarity  signifies  not  only  that 
man  needs  association  with  his  fellow-men,  but 
that  he  shares  with  them  their  sins  and  their  suf- 
ferings. Our  sin  is  sin  for  others ;  their  sin  is 
our  sin.  There  is  no  such  thing,  either  as  purely 
individual  sin,  or  a  purely  individual  righteous- 
ness. 

Although  social  philosophy  and  natural  science 
are  just  beginning  to  get  a  glimmering  of  the 
grand  truths  of  social  solidarity,  the  doctrine 
itself  is  a  very  old  one.  No  one  has  ever  given 
clearer  expression  to  it  in  its  ethical  and  religious 
bearings  than  the  Apostle  Paul.  Human  sin 
comes  to  us  through  the  human  race.  The  unity 
of  the  race  is  shown  in  its  sin-taint.  We  are  one 
in  our  evil  character,  and  in  our  wrongdoing  in 
which  this  evil  character  terminates.  This  is 
what  is  meant  in  the  statement  that  in  Adam 
we  have  all  sinned.  The  sin  of  Adam  is  not  im- 
puted to  us  in  any  mechanical  fashion,  but  we 
have  the  nature  of  Adam ;  that  is,  the  race- 
nature.  "  By  one  man  sin  entered  into  the  world, 
and  death  by  sin  ;  and  so  death  passed  upon  all 


Social  Solidarity.  129 

men,  in  that  all  have  sinned." '  "  In  Adam  all 
die."1  This  states  the  law  of  social  solidarity 
on  its  passive  side  ;  but  it  is  stated  with  equal 
plainness  in  its  active  aspects :  "  For  as  by  one 
man's  disobedience  many  were  made  sinners,  so 
by  the  obedience  of  one  shall  many  be  made 
righteous."  !  "  For  as  in  Adam  all  die,  even  so 
in  Christ  shall  all  be  made  alive."4 

The  doctrine  of  social  solidarity  is  brought  for- 
ward again  and  again  throughout  the  entire 
Bible,  from  Genesis  to  Revelation,  and  is,  in- 
deed, one  of  the  most  remarkable  features  of  this 
wonderful  book.  It  is  clearly  expressed  in  that 
part  of  the  Bible  which  deals  with  the  human 
race  before  the  time  of  Abraham  ;  and  the  entire 
history  of  the  Jews,  both  in  their  internal  rela- 
tions and  their  relations  to  foreign  nations,  em- 
phasizes social  solidarity.  The  nation  rejoices 
together  and  suffers  together  ;  the  nation  par- 
takes of  the  benefits  of  the  righteousness  of  the 
righteous,  and  is  punished  on  account  of  the 
wrongdoings  of  the  wicked.  The  active  power 
of  a  few  righteous  men  is  told  us  in  the  history 
of  Abraham's  pleading  for  Sodom,  the  city  of 
Lot.  The  Lord  promised  that  should  but  ten 
righteous  men  be  found  in  the  city  it  would  not 
be  destroyed  for  the  ten's  sake.  But  when  Israel 

1  Romans  v,  12.  3 1  Corinthians  xv,  22. 

8  Romans  v,  19.  4  i  Corinthians  xv,  22. 


130  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

departs  from  God  and  no  longer  maintains  right- 
eous relations  among  men,  and  when  the  rich 
oppress  the  poor  and  the  strong  make  a  prey  of 
the  feeble,  then  the  nation  is  led  away  into  cap- 
tivity. And  this  is  all  easily  enough  understood. 
It  is  the  legitimate  outcome  of  natural  laws 
established  by  God.  And  these  laws  are  still 
operative,  and  their  working  in  the  history  of 
Israel  is  written  for  our  admonition. 

When  we  come  to  the  New  Testament  we 
have  taught,  with  even  greater  force,  the  law  of 
social  solidarity.  But  there  is  that  difference 
which  has  been  pointed  out  in  general  between 
the  Old  and  the  New  Testaments.  The  law  is 
not  merely  national  but  universal,  and  it  be- 
comes more  intensive.  If  we  collectively,  as 
well  as  individually,  seek  the  kingdom  of  God, 
all  material  blessings  will  be  added  unto  us. 
Let  it  not  be  forgotten  that  it  is  the  kingdom 
which  we  are  to  seek,  and  a  kingdom  is  a  social 
state.  Many  a  theologian  interprets  the  passage 
as  if  it  read,  individual  salvation,  and  not  the 
kingdom  of  God.  The  few  may  prosper  materi- 
ally through  unrighteous  social  relations,  but  it 
is  only  through  right  social  relations  that  the 
many  can  thrive.  "  Righteousness  exalteth  a 
nation."  So  long  as  wrong  relations  exist  among 
men,  the  righteous  man,  the  man  who  seeks  the 
kingdom  of  God,  may  suffer  in  material  things 


Social  Solidarity.  131 

on  account  of  his  righteousness.  A  mistake  is 
often  made  by  a  too  narrow  interpretation  of 
Christ's  words.  When  we  forget  that  Christ 
spoke  of  the  coming  of  His  kingdom  continually, 
and  always  had  this  kingdom  in  His  mind,  we 
are  apt  to  interpret  individually  what  He  intended 
should  be  taken  as  applicable  to  society.  When 
a  condition  of  things  exists  like  that  found  in 
Jerusalem  in  Christ's  time,  a  man  may  seek  the 
kingdom  of  God,  and  yet  may  be  persecuted 
even  unto  death.  In  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews 
we  read  of  the  prophets  who  subdued  kingdoms 
and  did  many  wonderful  works,  and  of  whom 
the  world  was  not  worthy;  that  they  were 
stoned  and  sawn  asunder  ;  that  "  they  wandered 
about  in  sheepskins  and  goatskins ;  being  desti- 
tute, afflicted,  and  tormented." ' 

This  oneness  of  men  was  peculiarly  close 
among  the  followers  of  Christ,  for  they  are 
spoken  of  again  and  again  as  "  one  body."  "  We 
are  one  body  in  Christ,  and  everyone  members 
one  of  another."  a  In  another  place  it  is  said 
we  are  members  of  Christ's  body,  "  of  His  flesh 
and  of  His  bones."  !  Christ  ardently  longed  for 
a  more  perfect  union  with  His  disciples  than 
that  which  existed,  and  He  prayed  for  His  disci- 
ples that  remarkable  prayer  recorded  in  the 
seventeenth  chapter  of  the  Gospel  According  to 

1  Hebrews,  chapter  xi.      9  Romans  xii,  5.      3  Ephesians  v,  30. 


132  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

St.  John,  containing  these  words:  "Neither 
pray  I  for  these  alone,  but  for  them  also  which 
shall  believe  on  Me  through  their  word ;  that 
they  all  may  be  one  ;  as  Thou,  Father,  art  in  Me, 
and  I  in  Thee,  that  they  also  may  be  one  in  Us : 
that  the  world  may  believe  that  Thou  hast  sent 
Me.  And  the  glory  which  Thou  gavest  Me  I 
have  given  them  ;  that  they  may  be  one,  even 
as  We  are  one." 

If  we  read  the  words  of  Christ  in  the  light  of 
this  doctrine  of  social  solidarity,  we  shall  find  in 
them  a  meaning  which  probably  has  escaped  most 
of  us.  This  doctrine  does  not  take  away  any- 
thing from  what  we  have  rightly  held  dear,  but  it 
adds  new  fullness  and  depth  to  Christ's  teachings. 
We  find  Christ  again  and  again  rebuking  those 
who  would  separate  themselves  from  their 
fellows,  who  thought  they  could  exalt  them- 
selves above  their  fellows,  and  believed  that 
they  were  free  from  the  wrongs  which  prevailed 
all  about  them.  Again  and  again  Christ  con- 
victs those  self-righteous  people  of  their  iniquities. 
One  of  the  most  remarkable  instances  is  given  in 
the  narrative  of  the  woman  taken  in  the  very 
act  of  sin.  She  was  brought  to  Christ,  and  He 
was  reminded  of  the  law  of  Moses  that  such  a 
woman  should  suffer  death.  He  was  asked 
what  should  be  done  with  her.  Christ  com- 
manded that  he  who  was  without  sin  should 


Social  Solidarity.  133 

cast  the  first  stone,  and  "  they  which  heard  it 
went  out  one  by  one,  beginning  at  the  eldest, 
even  unto  the  last."  '  This  by  no  means  signifies 
that  each  one  of  those  Pharisees  had  been  guilty 
of  this  very  act,  but  that  they  all  shared  in  the 
common  guilt,  for  they  had  not  done  what 
might  have  been  done  to  banish  sin  and  to 
restore  men  to  righteousness.  They  neglected 
sinners  and  did  not  seek  to  save  the  lost. 

Social  solidarity  relieves  the  weak  and  erring, 
it  is  very  true,  of  a  part  of  their  individual  guilt; 
and  for  this  reason  doubtless  Christ  was  so 
gentle  with  this  class,  but  on  the  whole  it  in- 
creases individual  responsibility  immensely.  This 
is  unconsciously  admitted  in  the  very  general 
desire  to  escape  social  responsibility.  We  are 
responsible  to  a  certain  extent  for  all  the  poverty 
and  sin  and  suffering  about  us.  An  entire  city 
is  guilty  on  account  of  the  murder  which 
occurs  in  some  alley  in  a  slum ;  yet  whoever 
utters  a  word  publicly  which  tends  to  separate 
men  out  from  the  common  lot  of  their  fellows, 
and  to  assist  them  in  an  evasion  of  their  share  of 
social  responsibility,  is  a  speaker  sure  of  a  warm 
welcome,  and  what  he  says  will  pass  readily 
from  newspaper  to  newspaper  throughout  the 
entire  length  and  breadth  of  the  land. 

Writers  of  deep    insight  have  given  frequent 

1  St.  John  viii,  9. 


134  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

expression  to  the  great  truths  of  social  solidarity. 
Hawthorne  says :  "  While  there  is  a  single  guilty 
person  in  the  universe,  each  innocent  one  must 
feel  his  innocence  tortured  by  that  guilt."  Mar- 
garet Fuller  utters  a  similar  thought  in  these 
words :  "  While  one  man  remains  base,  no  man 
can  be  altogether  great  and  noble."  Matthew 
Arnold  expresses  the  principle  of  social  solidarity 
in  these  words:  "Culture,  or  the  study  of  per- 
fection, leads  us  to  conceive  of  no  perfection  as 
being  real  which  is  not  a  general  perfection,  em- 
bracing all  our  fellow-men  with  whom  we  have 
to  do.  Such  is  the  sympathy  which  binds  hu- 
manity together  that  we  are,  indeed,  as  our  re- 
ligion says,  '  members  of  one  body,'  and  if  '  one 
member  suffer,  all  the  members  suffer  with  it.' 
Individual  perfection  is  impossible  so  long  as  the 
rest  of  mankind  are  not  perfected  along  with  us." 
Man  is  the  son  of  man,  the  blood  of  the  race 
flows  in  his  veins.  If  we  trace  back  our  ancestry 
we  find  that  the  lines  of  our  descent  cross  and 
recross  almost  to  infinity.  Thus  it  is  a  true  say- 
ing that  "  society  gives  us  ancestors."  Recent 
interest  in  families  awakened  by  organizations, 
like  the  "  Daughters  of  the  Revolution,"  shows 
how  all  the  old  New  England  families  and  all  the 
old  Virginia  families  are  related,  and  closer  re- 
search gives  an  immense  network  embracing 
both  sections.  The  lines  in  reality  extend  much 


Social  Solidarity.  135 

farther  than  anyone  thinks,  because  in  certain 
directions  these  lines  are  not  pleasing  and  conse- 
quently not  followed  out.  We  lose  the  threads 
which  would  enable  us  to  trace  back  our  ances- 
try very  soon,  but  we  can  go  far  enough  to  fur- 
nish at  least  strong  evidences  of  a  unity  of  con- 
siderable proportion  of  the  race,  and  science  can 
carry  the  proof  much  farther.  There  is  a  race- 
blood  given  as  our  inheritance,  carrying  with  it 
tendencies  and  capacities.  Man  is  born  into  a 
moral  atmosphere ;  he  breathes  it  in  and  shares 
in  its  guilt  and  in  its  excellence.  At  first  the 
moral  quality  is  given,  and  the  early  development 
of  personality  takes  place  on  the  basis  of  what 
is  given.  Responsibility  of  the  individual  in- 
creases with  age.  The  individual  is  first  a  result, 
but  later  becomes  a  cause.  Early  individual  irre- 
sponsibility is  recognized  by  the  courts  of  all  civi- 
lized lands,  equally  with  growing  responsibility. 
Investigations  into  causes  of  physical  infirmi- 
ties, like  deafness  and  blindness,  show  very  gen- 
erally wrongdoing  on  the  part  of  some  ancestor. 
Quite  frequently  this  wrongdoing  takes  the  form 
indicated  by  alcoholism.  The  child  suffers  for 
sins  committed  before  his  birth.1  Investigations 

1  When  the  author  not  long  since  listened  to  a  series  of  lectures 
on  the  defective  and  unfortunate  classes,  he  was  impressed  with 
the  frequency  with  which  this  thought  was  advanced  by  the 
various  experts  who  delivered  the  lectures. 


136  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

into  causes  of  crime  and  pauperism  show  us  a 
network  of  evil  forces  indicated  by  the  two 
words,  "heredity"  and  "environment,"  sur- 
rounding thousands  and  hundreds  of  thousands 
at  their  very  birth.  Those  more  fortunate  ones, 
well-born  physically,  mentally,  and  morally,  are 
apt  to  turn  away  in  scorn  from  the  unfortunate 
and  degenerate  classes,  and  to  neglect  the  oppor- 
tunities which  are  abundant  to  improve  the  con- 
ditions under  which  they  live.  It  was  to  such 
as  these  that  Christ  gave  warning  that  those 
upon  whom  the  tower  in  Siloam  fell  were  not 
guilty  above  all  the  other  dwellers  at  Jerusalem, 
but  that  unless  they  repented  they  should  like- 
wise perish.  So  it  is  with  us ;  wretchedness  and 
disease  travel  from  class  to  class  and  from  indi- 
vidual to  individual. 

We  may  trace  social  solidarity  into  every  de- 
partment of  our  common  life.  If  we  take  it  on 
its  physiological  side,  we  find  that  physically  we 
suffer  together :  "  The  whole  creation  groaneth 
and  travaileth  in  pain  together  until  now." ' 
This  was  understood  in  a  general  way  long  ago, 
but  in  the  modern  study  of  disease  it  has  re- 
ceived scientific  demonstration.  The  whole 
world  is  bound  together  in  the  chains  of  disease. 
Mohammedans  gather  together  in  multitudes  in 
a  city  in  Persia  at  a  time  of  unusual  drought,  and 

1  Romans  viii,  22. 


Social  Solidarity.  137 

cholera  begins  to  make  its  way  round  the  world. 
There  is  a  crop  failure  in  five  provinces  of  Rus- 
sia, and  during  the  ensuing  famine  Russian 
peasants  die  by  the  thousand.  In  this  suffering 
region  we  find  the  origin  of  the  grippe  which 
has  carried  away  hundreds  of  thousands  in  Eu- 
rope and  the  United  States.  Still  more  closely 
are  all  parts  of  one  country,  and  more  especially 
of  one  city,  connected  together  in  health  and  dis- 
ease. Says  Dr.  Cyrus  Edson  in  a  remarkable 
article  on  the  subject :  "  While  the  communities 
have,  through  their  Boards  of  Health,  prepared 
for  the  battle  with  contagious  diseases,  and  while 
they  can  trust  with  perfect  confidence  to  their 
defenses,  the  work  of  the  men  employed  in  these 
Boards  reveals  to  them  more  clearly  day  by  day 
the  close  connection  which  exists  between  the 
health  interests  of  all  members  of  the  commu- 
nity, be  these  rich  or  poor  ;  the  microbe  of  dis- 
ease is  no  respecter  of  persons ;  it  cannot  be 
guarded  against  by  any  bank  account,  however 
large."  *  Nevertheless,  it  is  true  that  a  bank 
account  is  a  help,  although  no  sure  guarantee. 
Persons  of  wealth  live  much  longer  than  the 
poor,  but  in  so  far  as  they  escape  the  common 
consequences  of  disease  their  moral  responsibil- 
ity increases,  and  morally  they  are  the  more 

1  See  "  The  Microbe  as  a  Social  Leveler,"  North  American 
Review,  October,  1895. 


138  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

guilty  if  they  do  not  use  their  larger  resources  to 
establish  conditions  of  health  for  all. 

Social  solidarity  may  also  be  traced  in  things 
intellectual.  Our  intellectual  products  are  pecul- 
iarly individual,  and  yet  they  are  all  dependent 
upon  conditions  which  no  one  man  has  established 
or  could  establish.  A  Shakespeare  could  not 
arise  in  the  heart  of  Africa,  nor  could  we  find  a 
Tennyson  to-day  in  China.  Man  has  achieved  his 
greatest  and  best  in  intellectual  efforts  of  every 
sort  when  surrounded  by  a  large  life.  When  man 
speaks  nobly  the  race  speaks  through  him  and  he 
speaks  for  the  race.  Witness  the  great  eras  of 
literature  and  art  in  Greece,  in  Rome,  in  England. 

Political  solidarity  is  something  so  old  and  so 
familiar  that  we  need  scarcely  more  than  mention 
it.  We  are  all  responsible  for  the  political  acts 
of  our  country,  both  with  our  persons  and  with 
our  property.  If  those  who  manage  the  affairs 
of  the  nation  act  foolishly  we  may  lose  both  our 
goods  and  our  lives.  Punishment  for  the  sins  of 
the  rulers  is  a  fact  as  old  as  history,  yet  the  rulers 
of  nations  do  not  stand  alone.  As  John  Wesley 
says,  "  God  frequently  punishes  a  people  for  the 
sins  of  their  rulers,  because  they  are  generally 
partakers  of  their  sins  in  one  kind  or  other."  ' 

It  is  a  peculiar  fact  that  social  solidarity  grows 

1  John  Wesley's  sermon,  "  National  Sins  and  Miseries,"  in  his 
Sermons,  vol.  I,  p.  515. 


Social  Solidarity.  139 

with  the  growth  of  civilization  ;  men  come  closer 
and  closer  together  and  the  unity  of  the  race  be- 
comes more  and  more  intensive.  This  is  best  of 
all  illustrated  in  that  department  of  life  in  which 
it  is  most  marked ;  namely,  economics.  To  a 
greater  and  greater  extent  we  are  dependent  on 
others  for  the  conditions  of  our  own  prosperity. 
It  has  been  pointed  out  in  modern  society  that 
man  is  dependent  for  his  economic  well-being, 
first,  upon  what  he  himself  produces ;  second, 
upon  the  exertions  of  others  who  produce  the 
things  which  he  wants  in  exchange  for  his  own 
products ;  third,  upon  the  efforts  of  others  who 
produce  the  same  things  which  he  produces,  giv- 
ing us  competition  among  sellers ;  fourth,  upon 
the  efforts  of  those  who  want  the  things  that  he 
wants,  giving  us  competition  among  purchasers. 
Along  one  line,  then,  man  is  dependent  upon  him- 
self; along  three  lines,  he  is  dependent  upon  the 
efforts  of  others.  The  man  who  produces  only 
shoes  would  starve  to  death  did  not  others  work 
for  him,  while  he  works  for  them.  As  the  division 
of  labor  is  carried  farther  and  farther,  economic 
dependence  increases,  and  thus  social  solidarity 
grows. 

The  author  has  a  friend  connected  with  a  hos- 
pital whose  experience  shows  what  an  awful  thing 
it  is  for  a  man  to  get  out  of  human  relations, 
either  because  he  has  sundered  the  essential  ties 


140  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

of  humanity,  or  because  they  have  been  sundered 
for  him  by  others,  or  because,  for  him,  perchance, 
they  have  never  existed.  The  waifs,  the  strays, 
the  morally  abandoned,  frequently  have  no  spe- 
cial tie  binding  them  to  anyone.  This  friend  of 
the  author  makes  inquiry  into  the  personal  rela- 
tions of  those  coming  to  the  hospital ;  he  asks  es- 
pecially, in  case  of  possible  death,  "  Who  cares 
for  you,  what  relative  have  you  ? "  and  like 
questions.  Frequently  the  reply  is,  "  No  one." 
To  upbuild  human  character  in  men  you  must 
establish  for  them  right  social  relations.  On  the 
other  hand,  we  fulfill  our  own  mission  and  develop 
our  own  true  individuality,  not  in  isolation,  but 
in  society,  and  by  bringing  ourselves  in  body 
and  mind  into  harmony  with  the  laws  of  social 
solidarity. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

OUR  NEIGHBORS. 


"  A  CERTAIN  lawyer  .  .  .  said  unto  Jesus,  And  who  is  my 
neighbor  ?  And  Jesus  answering  said,  A  certain  man  went 
down  from  Jerusalem  to  Jericho,  and  fell  among  thieves,  which 
stripped  him  of  his  raiment,  and  wounded  him,  and  departed, 
leaving  him  half  dead.  And  by  chance  there  came  down  a  cer- 
tain priest  that  way;  and  when  he  saw  him,  he  passed  by  on  the 
other  side.  And  likewise  a  Levite,  when  he  was  at  the  place, 
came  and  looked  on  him,  and  passed  by  on  the  other  side.  But 
a  certain  Samaritan,  as  he  journeyed,  came  where  he  was  ;  and 
when  he  saw  him,  he  had  compassion  on  him,  and  went  to 
him,  and  bound  up  his  wounds,  pouring  in  oil  and  wine,  and  set 
him  on  his  own  beast,  and  brought  him  to  an  inn,  and  took  care 
of  him.  And  on  the  morrow  when  he  departed,  he  took  out  two 
pence,  and  gave  them  to  the  host,  and  said  unto  him,  Take 
care  of  him  :  and  whatsoever  thou  spendest  more,  when  I  come 
again,  I  will  repay  thee.  Which  now  of  these  three,  thinkest 
thou,  was  neighbor  unto  him  that  fell  among  the  thieves  ?  And 
he  said,  He  that  showed  mercy  on  him.  Then  said  Jesus  unto 
him,  Go,  and  do  thou  likewise." — St.  Luke  x,  25-37. 

"  The  intent  of  the  similitude  is  to  show  to  whom  a  man  is  a 
neighbor,  or  who  is  a  man's  neighbor,  which  is  both  one,  and 
what  it  is  to  love  a  man's  neighbor  as  himself.  The  Samari- 
tan holp  him,  and  showed  mercy  as  long  as  he  was  present ;  and 
when  he  could  be  no  longer  present,  he  left  his  money  behind 
him,  and  if  that  were  not  sufficient,  he  left  his  credence  to  make 
good  the  rest ;  and  forsook  him  not,  as  long  as  the  other  had 
need.  Then  said  Christ,  '  Go,  thou,  and  do  likewise  ; '  that  is, 
without  difference  or  respection  of  persons  ;  whosoever  needeth 
thy  help,  him  count  thy  neighbor,  and  his  neighbor  be  thou, 
and  show  mercy  on  him  as  long  as  he  needeth  thy  succor,  and 
that  is  to  love  a  man's  neighbor  as  himself.  Neighbor  is  a 
word  of  love  :  and  signifieth  that  a  man  should  be  ever  nigh,  and 
at  hand,  and  ready  to  help  in  time  of  need." — Tyndale,  The 
Wicked  Mammon,  Parker  Society  Publications,  p.  85. 


Our  Neighbors.  143 


CHAPTER  VII. 

OUR    NEIGHBORS. 

A  QUOTATION  from  Sir  Henry  Maine  will 
serve  as  a  text  for  the  present  chapter.     It 
reads  as  follows  : 

"  What  is  the  real  origin  of  the  feeling  that  it 
is  not  creditable  to  drive  a  hard  bargain- with  a 
near  relative  or  friend  ?  It  can  hardly  be  said 
that  there  is  any  rule  of  morality  to  forbid  it. 
The  feeling  seems  to  me  to  bear  the  traces  of 
the  old  notion  that  men  united  in  natural  groups 
do  not  deal  with  one  another  on  principles  of 
trade.  .  .  .  The  general  proposition  which  is 
the  basis  of  political  economy  made  its  first  ap- 
proach to  truth  under  the  only  circumstances 
which  admitted  of  men  meeting  at  arm's  length, 
not  as  brothers  of  the  same  group,  but  as 
strangers.  .  .  .  If  the  notion  of  getting  the  best 
price  for  movable  property  has  only  crept  to  re- 
ception by  insensible  steps,  it  is  all  but  certain 
that  the  idea  of  taking  the  highest  obtainable 
rent  for  land  is  relatively  of  very  modern  origin. 
The  rent  of  land  corresponds  to  the  price  of 
goods,  but  doubtless  was  infinitely  slower  in 
10 


144  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

conforming  to  economical  law,  since  the  im- 
pression of  a  brotherhood  in  the  ownership  of 
land  still  survived  when  goods  had  long  since 
become  the  subject  of  individual  property." 

The  ancient  village  community  was  an  associa- 
tion of  men  bound  together  by  peculiarly  close 
ties.  These  men  were  generally  supposed  to  be 
descended  from  a  common  ancestor  and  thus  to 
be  more  or  less  closely  related,  and  any  outsiders 
received  into  the  community  became  members 
of  this  large  family.  They  felt  themselves  to  be 
brothers,  and  in  an  imperfect  manner  attempted 
to  establish  brotherly  relations  among  them- 
selves. Competition  was  greatly  restrained — in 
fact,  in  the  modern  sense  could  hardly  be  said  to 
exist — custom  regulated  prices,  and  sharp  prac- 
tice and  hard  bargaining  were  viewed  with  dis- 
approbation and  often  severely  punished.  Ethical 
obligation  extended  to  all  the  relations  of  life. 
The  range  of  this  obligation,  however,  was  not 
extensive ;  once  outside  the  community,  moral 
law  was  scarcely  recognized.  There  was  often  a 
place  touching  three  or  four  village  communities, 
but  not  belonging  to  any  one,  which  was  neutral 
territory.  This  became  a  market  where  the  cus- 
toms and  usages  of  the  village  community  no 
longer  held  sway,  and  it  was  in  this  market  that 
the  idea  of  the  legitimacy  of  hard  bargaining  and 
sharp  practice  took  its  origin,  as  we  are  told  by 


Our  Neighbors.  145 

Sir  Henry  Maine.  This  authority  regards  sharp 
practice  and  hard  bargaining  as  true  economic 
practice,  and  inquires  why  it  is  that  somehow  or 
other  men  are  still  frequently  inclined  to  view  it 
with  disapprobation.  He  finds  the  explanation 
in  survivals  of  feelings  which  once  obtained 
among  closely  connected  groups  of  men.  The 
highest  rent  obtainable  for  land  is  not  always 
exacted  in  England,  and  it  is  said  that  there  are 
places  where  such  an  exaction  would  ostracise 
the  land-owner.  The  explanation  given  is  that 
manorial  groups  were  substituted  for  village  com- 
munities, and  that  they  still  survive,  even  if  in 
imperfect  form. 

As  old  groups  of  men  broke  up  with  modern 
progress,  ethical  ideas  have  seemed  to  become 
weaker,  and  there  has  been  an  attempt  to  take 
one  great  department  of  social  life,  namely,  the 
economic,  entirely  outside  the  range  of  ethical 
obligation.  Ancient  groups  were  associations  of 
brothers,  but  those  not  within  the  groups  were 
enemies.  The  three  words,  foreigner,  stranger, 
and  enemy,  were  similar,  and  often  the  same 
word  denoted  all  three  relationships — that  of 
foreigner,  that  of  stranger,  and  that  of  enemy. 
When  men's  dealings  were  chiefly  with  those 
not  connected  by  any  recognized  tie  of  mutual 
obligation,  each  one  naturally  tried  to  do  the 
best  he  could  for  himself,  regardless  of  conse- 


146  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

quences  to  others.  Yet  there  never  has  been  a 
time  when  there  have  not  been  those  associations 
of  one  sort  and  another  within  which  ordinarily 
good  men  have  viewed  with  disapprobation  hard 
bargaining.  It  may  be  said,  indeed,  that  a  genu- 
ine feeling  of  brotherhood  is  incompatible  with 
sharp  practice  and  hard  bargaining,  and  Sir 
Henry  Maine  is  altogether  on  the  wrong  track 
when  he  looks  for  a  time  when  what  he  styles 
economic  practices  shall  universally  obtain,  and 
men  shall  applaud  that  person  who  drives  a  hard 
bargain  or  indulges  in  sharp  practice  with  neigh- 
bors and  friends.  The  breakdown  of  old  ties 
which  were  intensive  and  not  extensive  led  to  a 
great  weakening  in  the  intensity  of  ethical  feel- 
ing, especially  in  business  life,  because  the  same 
amount  of  feeling  was,  if  such  an  expression  may 
be  used,  made  to  cover  a  territory  so  much 
larger.  Men,  however,  have  long  been  taught  in 
all  civilized  nations  that  all  men  are  brothers, 
and  most  enlightened  persons  profess  to  accept 
this  teaching  of  universal  brotherhood.  There 
has  been,  then,  an  extension  of  brotherhood 
which  is  simply  immense,  placing  us  in  the 
modern  world  indefinitely  in  advance  of  the 
closely  related  but  exclusive  groups  of  the 
ancient  world.  The  range  of  ethical  obligation 
has  been  widened  until  it  embraces  all  humanity, 
but  it  has  not  been  deepened  in  proportion. 


Our  Neighbors.  147 

The  work  of  deepening   this  feeling,   however, 
goes  on  uninterruptedly. 

Day  by  day  the  phrase,  "  All  men  are  brothers," 
comes  to  mean  more  and  more,  and  the  time  is 
surely  coming  when  it  will  ethically  mean  as 
much  in  the  world  at  large  as  once  it  did  in  the 
village  community ;  and  when  that  time  comes 
no  decent  man  will  any  longer  advocate  the 
legitimacy  of  the  universal  sway  of  sharp  prac- 
tice and  hard  bargaining.  Men  will  then  try  to 
put  all  business  relations  upon  a  brotherly  basis, 
and  will  always  inquire  what  forms  of  industrial 
organization  and  what  modes  of  doing  business 
are  in  accordance  with  the  highest  standards  of 
right,  and  best  promote  the  general  welfare.  It 
is  this  deepening  process  of  ethical  obligation 
which  explains  many  social  problems  of  our  day. 
The  deepening  is  going  on  with  remarkable 
rapidity,  and  the  result  is  that  men  everywhere 
are  bringing  to  bear  ethical  tests  upon  all  rela- 
tions of  life,  and  are  rejecting  as  unsound  all 
practices  and  customs  inconsistent  with  genuine 
brotherhood.  Mere  conventional  phrases  no 
longer  satisfy  us  ;  we  want  the  reality  of  brother- 
hood. Now,  a  business  world  which  has  taken 
its  origin  in  middle  ground  lying  between  com- 
munities within  which  the  range  of  ethical  obli- 
gation was  confined  can  never  satisfy  a  highly 
developed  Christian  consciousness.  Men  may 


148  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

talk  and  argue  as  they  will  about  economic  law, 
yet  there  is  deep  down  in  our  hearts  a  feeling 
that  there  is  something  better  than  sharp  prac- 
tice and  hard  bargaining. 

It  was  an  unbelieving  age  of  materialism  which 
asserted  the  all-sufficiency  and  even  beneficence 
of  unrestrained  self-interest,  and  attempted  to 
restrict  economic  inquiries  to  this  one  question : 
"  How  produce  the  greatest  amount  of  wealth  ?  " 
Aristotle,  Plato,  and  the  wisest  of  the  ancients 
never  asked,  "  How  can  our  nation  become  as 
rich  as  possible?  "  but  rather,  "  How  may  such 
economic  and  social  relations  be  established 
among  citizens  as  to  render  them  good  and 
happy?"  They  sought  in  the  business  world 
merely  a  basis  for  the  highest  physical,  mental, 
and  spiritual  development  of  man,  but  they 
never  looked  upon  the  accumulation  of  riches  as 
an  end  in  itself.  These  ancients  did  not  extend 
the  range  of  ethical  obligation  beyond  nationality, 
but  our  age  regards  all  men  as  closely  connected 
as  the  Jews  in  the  eyes  of  Moses  or  the  Greeks 
in  the  mind  of  Plato.  Consequently  we  begin  to 
ask  similar  questions. 

The  widening  and  deepening  range  of  ethical 
obligation  rests  upon  a  basis  of  solid  facts.  One 
of  the  most  characteristic  features  of  the  latter 
half  of  the  nineteenth  century  is  the  extension 
of  international  connections.  Men  of  all  nations 


Our  Neighbors.  149 

are  drawing  nearer  and  nearer  together  in  every 
department  of  social  life.  After  men  ceased  to 
regard  the  foreigner  as  necessarily  an  enemy, 
they  long  continued  to  consider  him  as  an  in- 
ferior. Doubtless  there  are  still  Americans  who 
regard  Americans  as  superior  to  Englishmen  or 
Germans  or  Frenchmen ;  but  as  knowledge  ex- 
tends and  practical  Christianity  advances  we  feel 
that  God  has  created  all  men  of  one  blood.  This 
is  seen  in  international  marriages,  which  have 
their  good  side,  and  that  one  of  no  mean  signifi- 
cance. The  number  daily  increases  of  those  who 
have  ties  of  blood  relationship  extending  to 
several  countries.  It  often  happens  that  people 
of  culture  and  means  have  friends  in  three  or  four 
countries,  and  dear  friends  with  whom  connection 
is  kept  up  by  correspondence  and  occasional  in- 
terchange of  visits. 

The  freedom  with  which  capital  moves  from 
country  to  country  has  become  a  matter  of  com- 
mon knowledge,  and  it  is  often  said  that  capital 
knows  no  country,  but  is  strictly  cosmopolitan. 
This  is,  to  be  sure,  an  exaggeration,  but  it  em- 
phasizes forcibly  actual  facts.  The  past  genera- 
tion has  witnessed  a  marvelous  growth  of  a  feel- 
ing of  brotherhood  among  the  wage-earners  of 
modern  industrial  nations.  Possibly  when  the 
history  of  the  nineteenth  century  comes  to  be 
written,  several  generations  hence,  this  will  be  re- 


150  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

garded  as  the  most  marvelous  feature  of  the 
second  half  of  the  century.  The  ties  which  bind 
workingmen  to  workingmen  all  over  the  world 
are  very  real,  and  are  felt  wherever  there  is  an 
intelligent  wage-earning  class  with  a  developed 
class-consciousness.  Papers  devoted  to  the  inter- 
ests of  labor  published  in  every  European  country 
find  their  way  to  the  United  States,  and  our  labor 
papers  find  their  way  to  all  European  countries. 
Even  Asia  and  Africa  are  coming  into  this  world 
movement.  Workingmen  of  one  nation  contrib- 
ute to  those  of  others  to  assist  them  in  their 
upward  struggle,  and  refuse  advantages  procured 
at  the  expense  of  brothers  whom  they  have  never 
seen.  Why  cite  facts  when  all  know  that  con- 
tributions of  Australian  workingmen  helped 
English  workingmen  to  a  victory  in  one  of  the 
most  momentous  struggles  with  their  employers, 
and  when  the  fact  has  frequently  been  published 
that  workingmen  from  the  Continent  of  Europe 
who  have  been  brought  to  England  to  take  the 
place  of  strikers  have  returned  to  their  own 
countries  as  soon  as  they  found  out  the  true 
nature  of  their  engagement,  and  when  under 
similar  circumstances  European  workingmen 
have  even  crossed  the  ocean  from  America  to 
Europe  after  they  had  come  over  here  in  the 
hope  of  finding  better  wages? 

The  extension  of  the  range  of  ethical  obliga- 


Our  Neighbors.  151 

tion  moves  most  readily  along  what  may  be 
called  horizontal  lines — that  is  to  say,  it  is  largely 
an  extension  within  social  classes.  The  English 
merchant  recognizes  ties  which  bind  him  to  the 
merchant  in  New  York  and  Paris  and  Berlin. 
Manufacturers  and  employers  generally  are  more 
and  more  conscious  of  relations  of  brotherhood 
binding  them  together,  and  as  has  just  been 
stated,  the  wage-earners  of  all  lands  feel  their 
oneness,  and  their  great  rallying  cry  has  gone 
forth  :  "  Workingmen  of  all  lands,  unite  !  "  Thus 
it  often  happens  that  there  is  a  better  under- 
standing among  members  of  any  one  industrial 
class  in  different  countries  than  among  members 
of  different  industrial  classes  in  the  same  country. 
It  cannot,  indeed,  be  denied  that  while  industrial 
and  social  classes  in  different  countries  are  draw- 
ing together,  there  is  in  some  places  a  growing 
hostility  often  separating  class  from  class  in  the 
same  country;  yet  there  is  also  in  many  quarters 
evidence  of  efforts  to  bring  together  into  broth- 
erly relations  all  classes.  The  range  of  ethical 
obligation  is  in  this  respect  likewise  deepening. 
We  are  more  and  more  inclined  to  put  ourselves 
in  the  place  of  those  who  socially  or  industrially 
are  differently  situated  from  ourselves,  and 
hence  it  is  that  so  many  young  men  and  women 
of  means  and  culture  are  devoting  themselves  in 
social  settlements,  like  Hull  House  in  Chicago, 


152  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

and  elsewhere,  to  social  problems  in  the  hope  of 
ameliorating  the  condition  of  the  less  favored 
portions  of  humanity,  and  that  in  great  centers 
of  education,  like  Oxford,  we  find  an  admirable 
enthusiasm  of  humanity  which,  in  its  earnest- 
ness and  intensity,  can  only  be  compared  with 
the  crusades. 

Those  of  us  who  belong  to  what  would  ordi- 
narily be  called  the  cultured,  well-to-do,  and  in- 
fluential classes  in  the  community,  ought  to  make 
it  clear  to  ourselves  that  we  are  still  very  far  from 
ethical  fairness  in  our  dealings  with  the  less 
favored  social  classes  and  in  the  judgments  which 
we  pass  upon  them.  We  have  one  measure 
which  we  apply  to  the  acts  and  utterances  of 
those  in  our  own  social  class,  and  another  measure 
which  we  apply  to  the  acts  and  utterances  of 
those  belonging  to  other  social  classes,  in  par- 
ticular the  wage-earning  classes.  Let  a  dispute 
arise  between  employers  and  employed,  and  we 
at  once  accept  the  statement  of  the  employers. 
This  is  given  to  the  press,  and  this  alone  as  a 
rule ;  yet  we  pass  judgment  without  trying  to 
find  out  what  the  workingmen  could  say  for 
themselves.  If,  however,  two  employers  quarrel, 
we  suspend  judgment  until  we  have  heard  both 
sides.  We  assume,  moreover,  that  the  obliga- 
tions which  rest  upon  workingmen  are  different 
and  far  severer  than  those  which  apply  to  their 


Our  Neighbors.  153 

employers.  Journals  of  the  highest  respectability 
will  assure  us  that  employers  have  a  perfect 
right  to  refuse  to  treat  with  a  representative  of 
the  employees,  whereas  they  would  regard  it  as 
a  most  unwarrantable  impertinence  and  impu- 
dence if  workingmen  should  refuse  to  deal  with 
any  one  whom  their  employers  might  select  as  a 
delegate.  The  writer  has  in  mind  a  strike  which 
occurred  some  two  years  ago,  and  a  prominent 
newspaper  in  New  York  said  that  the  employers 
had  an  undoubted  right  to  refuse  to  treat  with 
outsiders  assuming  to  represent  the  wage-earners. 
There  is  no  doubt,  however,  on  the  part  of  any 
honest  and  well-informed  man  that  these  repre- 
sentatives were  genuine  representatives.  Let  us 
reverse  the  case  and  suppose  the  strikers — who 
in  this  case  happened  to  be  street-car  employees 
— should  refuse  to  treat  with  some  delegate  of 
the  capitalists,  claiming  that  he  was  an  outsider, 
owning  no  part  of  the  capital  invested  in  the 
street  railway. 

Another  incident  which  occurred  during  this 
same  strike  shows  how  unequal  and  unfair  are 
our  judgments.  What  is  called  an  iron-clad 
agreement  was  presented  to  the  workingmen, 
forcing  them  to  withdraw  from  all  labor  organi- 
zations as  a  condition  of  employment.  This  was 
regarded  by  many  papers — and  among  them 
even  religious  papers — as  perfectly  fair  and 


154  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

proper.  Let  us  reverse  the  case.  Employers 
have  their  associations,  and  one  of  the  avowed 
designs  of  these  associations  is  the  regulation 
and  control  of  labor.  To  deny  this  is  simply  a 
confession  of  ignorance  or  dishonesty.  Suppose 
these  workingmen  had  united  and  presented  an 
"  iron-clad  "  to  their  employers,  refusing  to  work 
for  them  unless  they  dissolved  connection  with  all 
associations  of  employers.  Would  not  editorials 
innumerable  have  been  penned  and  sermons 
many  been  preached  in  denunciation  of  these 
workingmen  ?  Employers  have  a  right  to  con- 
duct their  own  business  as  they  please  within 
limits,  but  this  does  not  involve  their  one-sided 
regulation  of  conditions  under  which  employees 
must  work  and  the  selection  of  associates  with 
whom  they  must  work.  When  workingmen  in- 
terfere in  business — as  it  is  claimed  by  their  em- 
ployers— it  is  usually  to  regulate  those  conditions 
which  are  of  importance  to  themselves.  Very 
rarely  do  workingmen  attempt  to  interfere  with 
employers  in  the  conduct  of  their  business  except 
in  so  far  as  it  is  a  matter  of  direct  and  immediate 
concern  to  themselves.  What  must  be  said 
about  such  controversies  as  this  from  the  standard 
of  ethical  fairness  ? 

We  may  ask  this  question  :  Is  there  a  growing 
feeling  of  ethical  obligation  on  the  part  of  the 
wage-earning  classes  with  respect  to  their  em- 


Our  Neighbors.  155 

ployers  ?  Do  they  feel  more  and  more  that  they 
must  give  good  work  for  good  pay?  Do  they 
feel,  to  an  increasing  extent,  that  their  work  is 
an  ethical  calling ;  that  they  have  a  mission  in 
God's  world  to  minister  to  the  happiness  and 
well-being  of  society?  Do  they  always  greet 
with  warm  appreciation  self-sacrificing  efforts 
made  in  their  behalf?  Unfortunately,  while  rec- 
ognizing the  high  and  conscientious  and  truly 
Christian  conduct  of  many  wage-earners,  a  nega- 
tive answer  must  be  returned.  If  we  speak  of 
the  richer  and  employing  classes  as  higher  and 
the  poorer  and  wage-earning  classes  as  lower 
social  classes — and  to  refuse  to  do  so  is  to  refuse 
to  acknowledge  facts  as  they  exist — we  must  say 
that  the  downward  movement  in  the  extension 
of  the  range  of  ethical  obligation  has  in  recent 
years  been  stronger  than  the  upward  one.  The 
favored  classes  are  to  some  extent  trying  to  atone 
for  the  shortcomings  of  past  centuries.  This  is 
well ;  but  it  is  also  right  that  earnest  endeavors 
should  be  made  in  all  kindness  to  quicken  the 
consciences  of  wage-earners  especially,  and  gener- 
ally the  less  favored  social  classes,  to  a  realizing 
sense  of  their  duties  and  obligations,  for,  like  all 
others,  working  people  have  been  thinking  too 
much  about  rights  and  too  little  about  duties. 
Even  a  feeling  on  the  part  of  wage-earners,  that 
the  present  social  order  is  one  which  ought  to 


156  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

be  changed,  cannot  be  held  to  free  them  from 
obligations  to  their  employers  and  to  others. 

In  conclusion,  while  in  view  of  what  remains 
to  be  accomplished  we  can  scarcely  say  that  we 
have  made  more  than  a  beginning,  we  may  never- 
theless characterize  our  age  as  one  in  which  may 
be  perceived  a  clearly  defined  widening  and  deep- 
ening range  of  ethical  obligation. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  STATE. 


"OUR  patriotic  duty  is  our  Christian  duty." — Rev.  E.  A. 
Schell,  D.D.,  Secretary  of  the  Epworth  League,  in  an  address 
entitled  '•'Methodism,  a  Layman's  Movement." 

"  From  history  we  learn  that  the  great  function  of  religion 
has  been  the  founding  and  sustaining  of  States." — Sir  J.  JR. 
Seeley,  Natural  Religion,  p.  202. 

"  The  State — the  greatest  institution  on  earth — elevates  every- 
thing that  appertains  to  it,  every  duty,  interest,  or  measure, 
into  great  importance,  for  the  simple  reason  that  it  affects  all, 
and,  what  with  its  direct  and  indirect  operation,  it  very  mate- 
rially influences  the  moral  well-being  of  every  individual.  .  .  . 
Good  laws  elevate  man  ;  bad  laws,  if  persisted  in  for  a  series  of 
years,  will  degrade  any  society.  ...  It  is  one  of  the  greatest 
blessings  to  live  under  wise  laws  administered  by  an  upright 
government,  and  obeyed  and  carried  out  by  good  and  stanch 
citizens;  it  is  most  grateful  and  animating  to  a  generous  heart, 
and  a  mind  which  cheerfully  assists  in  the  promotion  of  the 
general  good,  or  salutary  institutions.  It  greatly  contributes  to 
our  self-esteem  if  we  live  in  a  community  which  we  respect, 
among  fellow-men  we  gladly  acknowledge  as  fellow-citizens. 
Many  of  the  noblest  actions  which  now  adorn  the  pages  of 
history  have  originated  from  this  source  of  inspiration.  On  the 
contrary,  we  feel  ourselves  humbled  and  dispirited,  we  find 
our  own  views  contracted  and  our  moral  vigor  relaxed,  we  feel 
deprived  of  that  buoyancy  without  which  no  manly  and  resolute 
self-possession  can  exist,  it  wears  off  the  edge  of  moral  sensitive- 
ness when  we  see  ourselves  surrounded  by  men  with  loose 
political  principles,  by  a  society  destitute  of  active  public 
opinion,  which  neither  cheers  the  honest  nor  frowns  down 
immoral  boldness." — Francis  Lieber,  LL.D.,  Political  Ethics, 
Edited  by  Theodore  D.  Woolsey,  pp.  79,  80. 

"  In  order  then  to  the  chief   good,  the  righteous  man  must 

live  in  a  righteous  state  ;  virtue  within  and  virtue  without  must 

dwell  together  in  beautiful  and  holy  unity.     But  if  God  means 

that  each  person  realize  the  chief  good,  what  ideal  does  He  set 

11 


before  us  for  society  ?  This :  That  the  individuals  composing 
it  shall,  every  one  of  them,  be  perfectly  virtuous,  or  perfectly 
holy,  and  that  the  State  into  which  they  are  organized  shall  in 
every  respect  be  perfectly  ordered  and  perfectly  righteous,  an 
altogether  good  and  holy  State.  No  less  an  ideal  as  respects 
man,  on  the  one  hand,  and  society,  on  the  other,  can  satisfy  the 
Christian  idea  of  God." — Rev.  A.  M.  Fairbairn,  D.D.,  Religion 
in  History  and  in  Modern  Life,  p.  257. 

"  We  wait  for  the  next  stage  in  the  growth  of  the  State, 
when  in  full  and  generous  cooperation  each  citizen  shall  offer 
the  fullness  of  his  own  life,  that  he  may  rejoice  in  the  fullness  of 
the  life  of  the  body.  Such  an  issue  may  appear  to  be  visionary. 
It  is,  I  believe,  far  nearer  than  we  suppose.  It  is  at  least  the 
natural  outcome  of  what  has  gone  before.  Society  has  been 
organized  effectr.«ely  without  regard  to  the  individual.  The 
individual  has  been  developed  in  his  independence.  It  remains 
to  show  how  the  richest  variety  of  individual  differences  can  be 
made  to  fulfill!  he  noblest  ideal  of  the  State." — From  an  address 
by  Bishop  B.  F.  Westcott  at  the  Church,  reprinted  in  "  Chris- 
tian Socialism  "  by  Rev.  Philo  W.  Sprague. 


The  State.  161 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE    STATE. 

THE  word  State  is,  in  the  United  States 
especially,  liable  to  be  misunderstood, 
when  it  is  used  in  its  generic  sense.  Our  United 
States  is  made  up  of  forty-five  commonwealths, 
and  these  are  called  states.  But  State  in  its 
most  general  sense  is  not  equivalent  to  state  in 
the  sense  of  the  American  commonwealth.  The 
State  means  the  entire  American  nation,  politi- 
cally organized.  The  American  State  embraces 
the  American  in  all  his  political  relations,  as  the 
German  State  embraces  the  German  in  all  his 
political  relations.  The  English  State  and  the 
French  State  similarly  embrace  the  Englishmen 
and  Frenchmen  respectively  in  all  their  political 
relations.  The  Americans,  however,  like  the 
Germans,  have  a  federal  State,  while  the  English 
and  the  French  have  a  unitary  State.  We 
might  therefore,  in  the  present  chapter,  when 
speaking  of  Americans,  substitute  for  State  "  the 
nation  and  the  commonwealth,"  because  both 
make  up  our  State,  but  the  substitution  would 
be  objectionable,  first,  because  it  would  involve 


162  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

the  use  of  three  words  where  one  is  sufficient, 
and  this  would  frequently  be  awkward ;  second, 
because  it  is  desirable  that  we  should  become 
accustomed  to  the  use  of  the  word  State  in  its 
generic  sense  and  remember  our  relations  to 
nation  and  commonwealth  alike. 

Commonwealth  is  often  used  as  equivalent  of 
State  as  later  in  this  chapter.  If  a  common- 
wealth has  full  and  complete  sovereignty,  it  is  of 
course  a  State  in  its  complete  sense.  In  the 
United  States,  the  nation  and  commonwealth 
must  be  taken  together  to  give  complete  sover- 
eignty. The  word  State  is  used  in  this  broad 
sense  both  in  John  Wesley's  "  Sunday  Service  " 
and  in  the  revised  book  of  Common  Prayer  of 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the  petition, 
"  O  Lord,  save  the  State." 

Family,  Church,  and  State  are  frequently  men- 
tioned together  as  the  three  pre-eminently  divine 
institutions  known  to  man.  It  is  claimed  by 
some  that  the  State  is  the  chief  institution  of 
these  three,  and  that  if  we  select  one  institution 
as  above  all  others  divine  it  must  be  the  State. 
Such  a  comparison  manifestly  cannot  be  under- 
stood too  literally.  If  several  institutions  are 
established  by  God,  it  can  hardly  be  strictly  true 
that  one  is  more  divine  than  another.  What  is 
meant  is  this  :  That  God  works  through  the  State 
in  carrying  out  His  purposes  more  universally 


The  State.  163 

than  through  any  other  institution  ;  that  it  takes 
the  first  place  among  His  instrumentalities. 

The  family  is  clearly  a  divine  institution.  The 
Bible  leaves  no  doubt  about  this  in  the  mind  of 
anyone  who  accepts  the  Bible  as  true.  Destroy 
the  family  and  you  destroy  one  of  the  fundamen- 
tal conditions  of  that  righteousness  which  God 
desires  to  establish.  Yet  the  family  is  not  inclu- 
sive of  all  men,  like  the  State.  Most  men  are 
undoubtedly  born  into  this  world  as  members  of 
a  family,  and  not  to  be  included  in  a  family  at 
one's  birth  is  abnormal  and  most  unfortunate. 
Yet  as  men  grow  up  they  must  leave  the  family, 
if,  as  not  infrequently  happens,  death  has  not 
already  destroyed  it.  Many  of  those  scattered 
elements  of  former  families  unite  and  form  new 
families  ;  yet  there  are  always  large  numbers  living 
isolated  lives,  forming  no  part  of  any  family. 
Not  only  has  this  always  been  the  case,  but  it 
always  must  be  ;  and  there  is  some  reason  to  be- 
lieve that  it  will  be  the  case  to  even  a  greater 
extent  in  the  future  than  at  present.  There  are 
physical  reasons  why  many  men  and  women 
should  not  marry  and  establish  families,  and  there 
are  economic  reasons.  Men  otherwise  amiable 
and  intelligent  occasionally  lack  the  capacity 
to  support  a  family  according  to  the  standard  of 
life  suitable  to  their  station.  Physical  and  eco- 
nomic reasons  for  a  single  life  will  be  more  appre- 


164  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

dated,  as  men  become  more  conscientious  about 
assuming  responsibilities  toward  others.  Dis- 
parity between  the  number  of  men  and  the  num- 
ber of  women  in  most  parts  of  the  earth  is  a 
cause  of  singleness.  It  is  not  to  the  point  to  re- 
ply that  the  whole  number  of  men  in  the  world 
is  nearly  equal  to  the  number  of  women,  provided 
they  are  not  evenly  distributed.  A  bachelor  in 
Montana  cannot  marry  a  spinster  in  Germany. 
The  more  dangerous  avocations  of  men  tend  to 
reduce  the  supply  of  available  husbands.  Again 
there  are  humanitarian  and  religious  motives 
which  keep  men  and  women  from  marrying. 
Christ  ranked  such  motives  very  high,  and  prom- 
ises great  rewards  to  those  who  for  His  sake  give 
up  husband  or  wife.  Much  more  might  be  said 
about  the  family  and  its  limitations,  but  space 
will  not  admit  of  it.  The  State  includes  now  and 
always  has  included  within  its  embrace  all  civ- 
ilized men  and  women,  but  only  some  of  these, 
and  not  all,  belong  to  distinct  families  or  house- 
holds. 

The  Church,  as  we  understand  it,  began  to  ex- 
ist less  than  two  thousand  years  ago ;  but  long 
before  the  apostles  of  Christ  established  the 
Church  God  worked  in  the  world,  and  the  institu- 
tion through  which  He  worked  above  all  others 
was  the  State.  His  chosen  people,  the  Jews, 
constituted  a  commonwealth  established,  we  are 


The  State.  165 

told,  by  God.  The  revelation  of  God  to  the 
Jews,  and  through  the  Jews  to  the  rest  of  the 
world,  is  found  in  the  laws  and  in  the  life  of  the 
Hebrew  State.  These  laws  and  this  life  were  an 
inspiration  to  David  and  the  other  poets  of  Israel, 
and  they  were  the  prime  object  of  solicitude  to 
the  prophets.  The  prophets,  in  fact,  were  states- 
men, or,  if  you  will,  politicians,  in  the  nobler  sense 
of  the  word.  When  Christ  came  His  mind  was 
full  of  the  kingdom  or  commonwealth  in  which 
righteousness  should  prevail.  The  coming  of  the 
kingdom  was  proclaimed  by  Christ,  and  it  was 
His  followers  who  began  to  talk  about  a  Church 
as  distinct  from  the  State.  The  Church  was 
early  established,  and  it  has  increased  in  numbers 
and  in  power,  but  it  has  never  embraced  more 
than  a  minority  of  civilized  human  beings. 
There  have  always  been  followers  of  God  who 
have  not  been  adherents  of  any  visible  Church, 
any  regularly  established  ecclesiastical  organiza- 
tion, but  these  are  all  embraced  within  the  State, 
and  the  State  also  includes  those  outside  sinners, 
those  unregenerate  persons  who  do  not  love  God 
and  man,  and  do  not  seek  righteousness,  among 
whom  the  Church  works. 

We  must  ever  remember  that  Christ  and  His 
apostles  always  recognized  the  authority  of  the 
State  as  divine  in  character  even  under  most  try- 
ing and  perplexing  circumstances.  Christ  coun- 


166  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

seled  obedience  to  the  Roman  emperor,  and  St. 
Paul  uses  well-known  words  which  could  scarcely 
be  more  explicit :  "  For  there  is  no  power  but  of 
God  :  the  powers  that  be  are  ordained  of  God. 

"  Whosoever  therefore  resisteth  the  power, 
resisteth  the  ordinance  of  God.  .  .  . 

"  For  rulers  are  not  a  terror  to  good  works,  but 
to  the  evil.  Wilt  thou  then  not  be  afraid  of  the 
power  ?  do  that  which  is  good,  and  thou  shalt 
have  praise  of  the  same : 

"  For  he  is  the  minister  of  God  to  thee  for  good. 
But  if  thou  do  that  which  is  evil,  be  afraid  ; 
for  he  beareth  not  the  sword  in  vain :  for  he  is 
the  minister  of  God.  .  .  . 

"  For  this  cause  pay  ye  tribute  also.  .  .  . 

"  Render  therefore  to  all  their  dues  :  tribute 
to  whom  tribute  is  due  ;  custom  to  whom  custom; 
fear  to  whom  fear  ;  honor  to  whom  honor." 

It  has  also  been  pointed  out  that  while  Christ 
manifested  no  respect  for  mere  wealth  or  assumed 
titles,  he  never  failed  to  show  obedience  and 
honor  to  the  regularly  constituted  public  author- 
ities.2 

So  essential  is  the  State  to  the  work  of  God  in 
this  world,  that  if  missionaries  penetrate  into  a 

1  Romans  xiii,  1-7. 

s  By  Rev.  F.  W.  Robertson  in  his  sermon,  "  The  Message  of 
the  Church  to  Men  of  Wealth,"  in  the  volume  of  his  Ser- 
mons. 


The  State.  167 

stateless  region,  say,  the  heart  of  Africa,  and 
convert  men  to  Christianity,  those  men  will  at 
once  form  a  new  State,  or  become  incorporated 
as  part  of  an  old  State.  All  great  and  glorious 
deeds  of  men  have  taken  place  within  a  State, 
and  the  highest  achievements  of  the  mind  of  man 
have  been  preceded  or  accompanied  by  a  large 
and  expanding  national  life. 

The  State  has  been  described  as  a  continuous, 
conscious  organism,  and  a  moral  personality, 
which  has  its  foundations  laid  in  the  nature  of 
man.  It  is  not  the  product  of  the  will  of  man. 
Men  have  never  come  together  in  a  state  of  na- 
ture, and  then  by  the  formation  of  a  State  passed 
out  of  a  condition  of  nature  into  an  organized 
political  existence.  The  State  grows  up  natu- 
rally, spontaneously,  and  men  are  born  into  the 
State,  and  the  State  is  one  of  the  forces  making 
them  what  they  are.  The  basis  of  the  State  is 
human  nature,  and  the  State  is  the  natural  condi- 
tion of  men.  Some  would  have  us  to  go  to  sav- 
ages to  find  out  what  is  natural,  but  Aristotle  has 
taught  us  that  it  is  the  perfect  man,  and  not  the 
imperfect  man,  who  can  reveal  to  us  what  is  nat- 
ural, just  as  we  look  at  a  perfect  and  not  an  im- 
perfect specimen  of  fruit  to  understand  the  nature 
of  the  fruit. 

Aristotle  described  an  order  of  development 
when  he  said  the  State  was  formed  for  the  sake 


168  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

of  life,  but  that  it  was  continued  for  the  sake  of 
the  good  life.  This  means  that  the  State  is  nec- 
essary in  order  that  man  may  live  at  all.  Its  first 
purpose  was  the  provision  of  material  resources  for 
the  nourishment  of  the  animal  life,  but  the  higher, 
nobler  purpose  of  the  State  is  not  the  material 
life,  but  the  soul  and  mind  of  man.  As  soon  as 
the  means  of  life  are  provided,  we  must  aspire  to 
the  good  life.  The  ignoble  doctrine  that  the 
State  is  a  necessary  evil  was  as  far  from  Aristotle 
as  it  has  been  from  all  great  political  thinkers. 
The  State  was  to  him  not  only  a  necessary  good, 
but  the  highest  and  noblest  of  all  good. 

For  a  long  time  previous  to  the  Protestant 
Reformation  false  notions  concerning  the  Church 
obscured  the  idea  of  the  State.  It  was  held  by 
leaders  in  the  Church  that  the  Church  was  no- 
ble because  it  was  concerned  with  spiritual 
things,  and  that  the  State  was  base  because  it 
was  concerned  with  temporal  things.  Conse- 
quently it  was  maintained  that  the  Church 
should  dominate  the  State,  as  the  spirit  ought 
to  rule  the  body.  The  rulers  of  the  State  were 
to  be  the  servants  of  priests,  humbly  doing  their 
bidding.  The  Protestant  Reformation  meant 
the  exaltation  of  the  State.  The  truth  was  pro- 
claimed with  emphasis  that  the  work  which  God 
intended  His  people  to  do  while  on  earth  was  to 
concern  themselves  with  the  things  of  the  world, 


The  State.  169 

and  to  establish  here  on  earth  righteous  relations 
among  men.  The  wide  separation  between 
things  secular  and  things  sacred  was  denied. 
The  whole  earth  was  held  sacred.  Nothing  was 
secular  in  any  bad  sense  of  the  word  except  sin, 
and  the  purpose  of  Christians  was  to  combat  it. 
As  soon  as  it  was  recognized  that  the  work  given 
to  Christians  was  the  establishment  of  righteous- 
ness, the  function  of  the  magistrate  became  as 
sacred  as  that  of  the  priest.  One  of  the  reform- 
ers uses  these  words,  expressing  a  belief  of 
early  Protestantism  :  "  The  distinction  of  eccle- 
siastical and  profane  laws  can  find  no  place 
among  Christians.  The  magistrate  himself  is 
holy  and  not  profane,  his  powers  and  laws  holy, 
his  sword  holy."  This  exalted  idea  of  the  State 
was  followed  by  most  momentous  practical  conse- 
quences. The  State  began  to  concern  itself  with 
education,  and  schools  and  universities  became 
State  institutions,  and  the  educational  work  of 
the  State  continued  until  in  the  most  enlightened 
Protestant  nations  every  child  was  guaranteed 
at  least  a  minimum  amount  of  education.  The 
cry  of  the  poor  became  a  matter  of  concern  to 
the  civil  authorities,  and  in  Protestant  Teutonic 
countries  the  right  of  man  to  at  least  a  bare 
livelihood  was  guaranteed  by  the  Poor  Laws. 
The  obligation  to  maintain  the  poor  was  for  the 
first  time  assumed  by  civil  society  in  the  six- 


170  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

teenth  century,  after  the  Protestant  Reforma- 
tion. Another  consequence  of  the  exaltation  of 
the  State  was  the  curtailment  of  the  functions  of 
ecclesiastical  Courts  and  the  extension  of  the 
function  of  the  civil  Courts,  to  which  all  alike, 
clergy  included,  ultimately  became  subject.  If 
the  civil  sword  was  holy  and  civil  justice  divine, 
why  should  there  exist  a  separate  ecclesiastical 
jurisdiction  arrogating  superiority  to  itself  ?  l 

The  only  limit  to  the  functions  of  the  State  is 
that  laid  down  by  Aristotle ;  the  general  princi- 
ple cannot  be  stated  better  than  he  stated  it :  "  It 
is  the  duty  of  the  State  to  do  whatever  is  in  its 
power  to  promote  the  good  life."  Any  other 
limitation  is  false  to  the  fundamental  principles 
of  Protestantism,  both  ancient  and  modern. 
The  venerable  Hooker  repudiated  with  these 
vigorous  words  the  doctrine  that  the  State  ex- 
isted only  for  the  sake  of  material  goods :  "  A 
gross  error  it  is  to  think  that  regal  power  ought 
to  serve  for  the  good  of  the  body,  and  not  for 
the  good  of  the  soul ;  for  men's  temporal  peace, 
and  not  their  eternal  safety  ;  and  if  God  had 

1  The  author  does  not  understand  that  there  is  anything  in 
this  paragraph  which  a  Roman  Catholic  must  of  necessity  reject. 
Every  enlightened  Roman  Catholic  acknowledges  that  those 
claiming  to  speak  and  act  for  the  Church  have  made  many 
mistakes.  The  writer,  however,  speaks  from  the  Protestant  point 
of  view,  but  can  only  rejoice  if  Roman  Catholics  also  can  accept 
what  is  here  stated,  as  he  is  convinced  many  of  them  can. 


The  State.  171 

ordained  kings  for  no  other  end  and  purpose  but 
only  to  fat  up  men  like  hogs  and  see  that  they 
have  their  mast  ?  "  1 

The  imperfect  political  life  of  our  time,  espe- 
cially in  our  own  country,  may  be  thought  by 
some  to  be  antagonistic  to  the  doctrine  of  the 
divinity  of  the  State.  The  divinity  of  an  insti- 
tution, however,  does  not  mean  its  perfection  in 
its  actual  existence,  but  only  in  its  idea.  God 
has  given  us  the  idea,  and  we  have  carried  it  out 
poorly.  The  State  is,  alas,  corrupt  and  de- 
graded ;  but  so  have  been  also  the  Church  and  the 
family  at  many  times  and  in  many  places.  The 
polygamy  of  the  Mormons  no  more  militates 
against  the  divine  idea  of  the  family  than  the 
corruption  of  New  York  politics  against  the  di- 
vine idea  of  the  State.  Government  is  divine  in 
idea  and  purpose,  but  those  in  New  York  city 
who  administer  government  are  too  generally 
unworthy  of  their  high  trust.  One  reason  why 
political  life  in  the  United  States  is  so  unwor- 
thy is  because  the  true  idea  of  the  State  has 
become  so  obscured.  The  nature  of  offenses 
against  the  purity  of  political  life  as  offenses  di- 
rectly against  God  has  not  in  recent  years  been 
adequately  emphasized.  Yet  we  may  feel  en- 

1  Hooker,  Ecclesiastical  Polity.  This  is  a  reprint  of  the  text, 
but  it  appears  to  be  corrupt  or  incomplete,  although  the  mean- 
ing is  clear  enough. 


172  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

couraged  when  we  compare  American  political 
life  with  the  life  of  the  Church  in  the  period  pre- 
ceding the  Protestant  Reformation.  How  could 
a  President  of  the  United  States  be  conceived 
as  living  a  life  so  debased  as  that  of  some  of  the 
popes,  or  others  who  have  held  high  positions  in 
the  Church  ? 

Church  and  State  are  much  alike  in  their  na- 
ture and  in  their  purposes,  and  it  is  because  they 
are  so  much  alike  that  there  has  been  so  much 
conflict  between  them — conflict  of  which  we 
shall  hear  more  in  the  United  States  in  future 
years  than  we  have  in  the  past.  It  has  been 
held  by  some  Protestants,  like  the  Lutheran 
Rothe,  that  the  State  in  idea  is  the  Church,  and 
that  when  the  perfect  State  comes  it  will  be  the 
Church.  He  of  course  speaks  of  an  idea  to  be 
realized  in  a  distant  future,  but  he  distinctly 
states  that  the  Church  must  decrease  and  the 
State  increase.  This  doctrine  cannot  be  elabo- 
rated in  this  place,  but  it  may  be  asked  what 
need  there  is  of  a  separate  institution  for  right- 
eousness when  the  whole  of  social  and  individual 
life  and  all  institutions  are  permeated  with  the 
Christian  spirit.  We  are  told,  indeed,  that 
there  shall  be  no  temple  in  the  New  Jerusalem. 
But  certainly  we  are  yet  far  from  this  New  Jeru- 
salem, and  we  must  work  for  the  extension  of  the 
Church,  while  we  at  the  same  time  endeavor  to 


The  State.  173 

instil  Christian  principles  into   our  entire  public 
as  well  as  private  life. 

It  is  true  that  the  main  purpose  of  the  State 
is  the  religious  purpose.  Religious  laws  are  the 
only  laws  which  ought  to  be  enacted.  But  what 
are  religious  laws  ?  Certainly  not  in  the  United 
States  laws  establishing  any  particular  sectarian 
views  or  any  theological  tenets,  in  regard  to 
which  there  may  be  diversity  of  opinion,  but 
laws  designed  to  promote  the  good  life.  Factory 
acts,  educational  laws,  laws  for  the  establishment 
of  parks  and  of  playgrounds  for  children,  laws 
securing  honest  administration  of  justice,  laws 
rendering  the  Courts  accessible  to  the  poor  as 
well  as  the  rich — all  these  are  religious  laws  in 
the  truest  sense  of  the  word.  The  Church  can 
go  in  many  respects  far  beyond  the  State.  It 
can  place  ideals  ahead  of  the  State  to  which  the 
State  must  gradually  approach ;  it  can  rebuke 
and  inspire  the  State  ;  it  can  quicken  the  con- 
sciences of  men,  of  those  who  rule  and  of  those 
who  obey.  The  Church  always  has  the  oppor- 
tunity of  doing  work  neglected  by  the  State,  and 
in  particular  the  dogmas  of  religion  are  com- 
mitted to  the  Church.  Theology  in  the  narrow 
sense  of  the  term  belongs  to  the  Church  and 
not  to  the  modern  State.  On  the  other  hand, 
let  the  Church  see  to  it  that  all  her  actions  and 
teachings  strengthen  and  purify  the  State.  Let 


174  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

all  Christians  see  to  it  that  they  put  as  much  as 
possible,  not  of  doctrine  or  creed  into  the  State 
constitution,  but  of  Christian  life  and  practice 
into  the  activity  of  the  State,  working,  to  be 
sure,  to  change  the  constitution  in  so  far  as  this 
may  stand  in  the  way  of  righteousness.  The 
nation  must  be  recognized  fully  as  a  Christian 
nation. 

Love  of  country  must  show  itself  in  service,  in 
the  upbuilding  of  the  institutions  of  the  country. 
The  schools  of  the  country  must  be  nourished. 
If  they  lack  religious  instruction,  let  the  churches 
supplement  the  schools  on  this  side.  If  the  con- 
version of  the  world  is  our  object,  we  will  not 
attempt  to  pull  a  few  out  of  the  world,  nor  will 
we  so  much  endeavor  to  separate  our  children 
from  the  public  schools  as  to  make  these  public 
schools  what  they  should  be.  We  will  establish 
our  centers  of  religious  influences  at  the  seat  of 
State  universities  and  reap  the  harvest  in  them 
which  awaits  Christian  effort.  If  we  have  our 
own  separate  denominational  schools  we  will  see 
to  it  that  they  minister  to  the  entire  life  of  the 
State,  and  help,  not  hinder,  public  effort. 

This  serves  as  illustration,  and  illustration  may 
be  continued  indefinitely,  but  one  more  illustra- 
tion may  be  given  to  emphasize  the  thought 
that  real  patriotism  finds  expression  in  acts,  not 
merely  words.  The  matter  of  tax-payment  is 


The  State.  175 

one  which  in  its  ethical  bearing  a  Christian 
cannot  neglect.  The  Apostle  Paul  commanded 
Christians  to  pay  tribute,  which  was  a  sign  of 
subjugation ;  only  conquered  nations  pay  trib- 
ute. How  much  more  should  Christians  pay 
their  full  share  of  self-imposed  taxes,  common 
contributions  for  common  purposes !  And  re- 
member, he  who  neglects  to  pay  his  fair  share, 
places  a  heavier  burden  on  some  one  else,  pre- 
sumably one  of  the  weaker  elements  in  society, 
as  widow  or  orphan.  What  would  Christ  say  of 
tax-dodging  coupled  with  hurrahs  for  the  stars 
and  stripes  on  the  Fourth  of  July  ?  That  is  a  sort 
of  patriotism  to  be  spewed  out  of  one's  mouth. 

What  in  short  we  especially  need,  and  what 
the  Christian  standpoint  necessarily  carries  with 
it,  is  emphasis  on  duties  rather  than  rights.  This 
is  a  first  condition  of  civic  regeneration. 

There"  are  now  hundreds  of  various  religious 
sects,  and  the  unity  of  the  various  denominations 
seems  remote,  even  with  the  best  and  most 
earnest  efforts.  One  sort  of  unity  of  Christians, 
however,  is  found  in  the  State.  Men  of  all 
denominations  act  together  in  the  administrative, 
legislative,  and  judicial  branches  of  government 
for  the  establishment  of  righteousness.  Let 
this  unity  be  valued  at  its  true  worth,  let  it  be 
cultivated  and  as  much  meaning  put  into  it  as  at 

any  time  the  circumstances  will  admit ! 
12 


CHAPTER  IX. 

MAKING  MEN  GOOD  BY  LAW. 


"OF  law  there  can  be  no  less  acknowledged,  than  that  her 
seat  is  the  bosom  of  God,  her  voice  the  harmony  of  the  world  : 
all  things  in  heaven  and  earth  do  her  homage,  the  very  least  as 
feeling  her  care,  and  the  greatest  as  not  exempted  from  her 
power,  both  angels  and  men  and  creatures  of  what  condition 
soever,  though  each  in  different  sort  and  manner,  yet  all  with 
uniform  consent  admiring  her  as  the  mother  of  their  peace  and 
joy." — Hooker's  Ecclesiastical  Polity,  Book  /,  chapter  xvi,  p.  8. 


Making  Men  Good  by  Law.  179 


CHAPTER  IX. 

MAKING   MEN    GOOD    BY    LAW. 

TWO  quotations  from  widely  separated 
authors  will  serve  as  a  text  for  the  present 
chapter.  The  first  is  taken  from  the  Rev.  Hugh 
Price  Hughes,  and  is  found  in  his  sermon,  entitled 
"  National  Character  Determined  by  the  Na- 
tional Laws,"  one  of  the  collection  making  up 
his  book,  Social  Christianity.  It  reads  as  follows  : 
"  How  often  we  hear  it  said  that  '  you  cannot 
make  men  moral  by  act  of  Parliament.'  I  never 
heard  anybody  say  that  except  when  he  was 
trying  in  some  way  to  hinder  the  kingdom  of 
God.  When  men  try  to  prevent  the  advance  of 
the  temperance  movement  and  other  great  moral 
enterprises,  they  are  very  fond  of  rattling  off 
that  sentence.  It  is  supposed  to  be  a  reply  to 
moral  fanatics  ;  that  is  to  say,  to  sober  and  wise 
patriots.  When  men  glibly  tell  us  that  we  can- 
not make  men  moral  by  act  of  Parliament,  I 
should  like  to  know  what  they  mean.  They 
probably  do  not  know  themselves.  Do  they 
mean  that  force  in  itself  is  no  remedy  ?  If  so, 
let  them  live  up  to  their  convictions.  But  let  us 


180  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

not  forget  that  a  law  is  a  good  deal  more  than 
force.  An  act  of  Parliament  is  not  mere  force, 
it  is  educational.  It  teaches  the  conscience,  it 
strengthens  the  conscience,  and  even  the  most 
degraded  usually  realize  that  what  is  illegal  is 
wrong."  The  second  quotation  is  furnished  by 
Professor  Lester  F.  Ward,  and  is  found  in  his 
Dynamic  Sociology,  which,  notwithstanding  some 
unfortunate  views  on  religion,  is  one  of  the 
ablest  sociological  works  ever  written  by  an 
American.  The  quotation  reads  as  follows : 
"  We  may  regard  all  legislation  as  belonging  to 
one  or  the  other  of  two  general  classes:  (i) 
Compulsory  legislation  ;  and  (2)  attractive  legis- 
lation. ...  In  the  department  of  social  forces 
most  of  the  attempts  to  control  them  have  thus 
far  been  made  according  to  the  coercive  method  ; 
and  this  illustrates  in  a  remarkable  manner  the 
infantile  stage  of  the  science  of  sociology.  We 
are  living  in  the  '  stone  age  '  of  the  art  of  govern- 
ment. We  shall  not  emerge  from  it  until  the 
principle  of  '  attractive  legislation  '  is  thoroughly 
understood  and  applied." 

As  Mr.  Hughes  points  out,  there  is  a  radical 
difference  between  modern  thinkers,  who  tell  us 
that  you  cannot  make  men  good  by  law,  and 
Moses,  one  of  the  greatest,  if  not  the  greatest, 
of  all  lawgivers,  who  found  the  test  of  national 
greatness  in  laws.  The  ideas  of  people  who 


Making  Men  Good  by  Law.  181 

assert  that  laws  cannot  make  men  good  seem  to 
be  crude  indeed.  They  evidently  suppose  that 
advocates  of  legislation  as  an  agency  of  morality 
wish  to  accomplish  their  ends  directly  and  imme- 
diately. Let  us  suppose  that  we  pass  a  law  to 
the  effect  that  after  May  15,  1898,  all  men  in 
the  United  States  shall  be  true  and  upright, 
ceasing  from  lying,  cheating,  begging,  and 
stealing,  working  diligently  with  their  own 
hands.  We  may  readily  admit  that  such  a 
law  would  accomplish  nothing.  No  one  in  his 
senses,  however,  has  ever  advocated  a  law 
decreeing  the  establishment  of  goodness.  The 
method  to  be  pursued  to  make  men  good  by 
law  must  be  the  method  of  indirectness. 

Laws  establish  the  conditions  of  social  life 
and  make  social  life  possible.  Now  God  has 
made  man  a  social  animal,  as  the  wise  old 
teacher,  Aristotle,  long  ago  discovered,  and  it  is 
only  in  society  that  man  can  accomplish  his 
destiny  and  attain  to  true  moral  development. 
Laws  in  making  possible  human  society  make 
possible  morality.  Laws  are  the  basis  on  which 
rest  the  great  fundamental  social  institutions  of 
civilization.  Laws  are  the  bulwark  of  the  fam- 
ily, and  without  laws  any  amount  of  preaching 
cannot  preserve  the  family  intact  as  a  social 
institution.  The  basis  of  the  family  must  be 
something  stronger  than  mere  exhortation.  Let 


182  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

the  laws  become  weak  and  inadequate,  and  fail 
to  protect  the  family  against  the  assaults  of  evil 
forces  constantly  at  work,  and  divorces  multiply, 
and  Mormonism  becomes  rampant,  as  we  know 
but  too  well  in  the  United  States,  where  the  im- 
portance of  law  has  been  so  little  understood. 
It  goes  without  saying  that  teaching  and  preach- 
ing are  required  to  make  the  family  what  it 
should  be,  but  it  is  asserted  without  hesitation 
that  this  teaching  and  this  preaching  cannot 
be  successful  unless  they  rest  upon  an  adequate 
legal  foundation. 

Laws  are  required  to  make  person  and  prop- 
erty secure,  and  to  enable  men  to  lead  their 
lives  in  peace,  free  from  the  assaults  of  trans- 
gressors. So  important  is  legal  security — the 
guaranty  of  right  against  successful  attack — that 
one  of  the  great  jurists  of  this  century,  Professor 
Rudolph  von  Jhering,  says  that  it  is  a  condition 
of  the  development  of  national  character.  His- 
tory seems  to  offer  abundant  confirmation  of 
this  dictum.  Subjects  of  an  unprincipled  despo- 
tism, like  the  Turks,  always  become  mean  and 
contemptible,  servile  and  tyrannical  in  turn. 
Manly  character,  free  and  independent,  can  be 
developed  only  in  countries  where  law,  suit- 
ably enforced,  establishes  secure  conditions  of 
social  life. 

The  laws  establish  and  regulate  the  conditions 


Making  Men  Good  by  Law.  183 

of  industrial  life.  They  give  us  a  certain  moral 
level  of  competition.  What  was  accomplished 
by  individual  effort  for  the  abolition  of  slavery  ? 
We  may  reply,  practically  nothing,  except  in  so 
far  as  individual  effort  worked  through  laws  and 
government.  The  strong  arm  of  the  law  abol- 
ished slavery,  and  that  alone  could  abolish  it. 
Competition  has  continued  to  operate  under 
freedom  as  it  did  under  slavery,  but  it  operates 
on  a  higher  moral  plane.  Surely  much  indi- 
vidual effort,  much  teaching  and  preaching,  are 
required  to  make  men  good  who  live  in  the 
United  States,  even  with  slavery  abolished,  but 
the  law  has  established  a  fundamental  condition 
of  true  morality  and  goodness. 

One  function  of  individual  effort  and  of  volun- 
tary combinations  of  individuals  in  society  must 
be  to  arouse  public  opinion  to  public  evils 
sufficiently  to  secure  the  passage  of  laws,  with 
satisfactory  arrangements  for  their  enforcement. 
Mr.  Hughes  tells  us  that  the  factory  acts  of 
England  produced  a  moral  revolution  in  the 
manufacturing  district  called  the  "  Black 
Country."  He  uses  these  words:  "  In  many 
parts  of  England  women  and  children  were 
degraded  beyond  expression,  and  because  a 
national  conscience  embodied  these  protective 
acts  in  the  statute  books  of  this  country,  the 
whole  moral  condition  of  vast  masses  of  the 


184  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

people  has  been  entirely  changed."  The  ex- 
perience of  the  United  States  in  banking  is 
especially  instructive  in  this  connection.  The 
old  State  Banking  laws  before  our  late  war  were 
calculated  to  make  banking  a  disreputable  and 
immoral  business.  It  can  scarcely  be  said  that 
in  our  early  history  banking  as  frequently  con- 
ducted was  an  honest  business.  The  legal 
conditions  were  too  unfavorable,  and  they 
directly  invited  men  to  cheat  and  swindle. 
Whatever  criticisms  we  may  pass  upon  our 
present  banking  system,  it  must  be  said  it  is 
much  more  favorable  to  morality,  because  the 
laws  upon  which  it  rests  are  honest  in  purpose 
and  the  administrative  machinery  for  their 
enforcement  is  adequate.  Comparatively  speak- 
ing, there  has  been  very  little  dishonesty  con- 
nected with  our  National  Banks.  Few  businesses 
in  the  country  have  been  so  safe,  and  the  law  has 
laid  a  very  heavy  hand  on  transgressors  of  bus- 
iness morality  in  the  National  Banking  business. 
It  ought  not  to  be  necessary  to  mention 
educational  institutions  in  this  connection.  It 
was  surprising  to  read  the  statement  in  a  reli- 
gious paper  not  long  ago  that  legislation  could 
do  nothing  for  the  Negroes,  that  they  must  look 
to  education  and  not  to  legislation.  The  basis 
of  successful  popular  education  is  legislation, 
and  must  be  legislation. 


Making  Men  Good  by  Law.  185 

Education  must  be  regarded  as  part  of  the 
moral  development  of  man,  for  the  life  of  man 
cannot  arbitrarily  be  divided  into  parts,  because 
the  physical,  mental,  and  ethical  departments  of 
life  are  most  closely  related.  Educational  insti- 
tutions furnish  an  opportunity,  even  without 
direct  religious  instruction,  for  a  teacher  to 
operate  directly  upon  the  character  of  the  pupil, 
and  the  teachers  of  the  country,  take  them  as  a 
whole,  are  a  morally  superior  class  of  citizens. 
How  many  hundreds  of  thousands  of  men  and 
women  of  the  United  States  have  to  thank 
teachers  in  public  schools  for  some  of  the  best 
influences  which  have  entered  into  their  lives ! 

These  general  considerations  ought  to  be  suf- 
ficient to  show  the  close  connection  of  law  with 
morality  in  the  educational  sphere  of  social  life ; 
but  we  may  take  a  narrower,  more  special  view 
of  the  subject.  Christians  believe  in  reading  the 
Bible,  and  think  that  this  practice  helps  to  make 
men  better.1  Universal  and  compulsory  educa- 
tion established  by  law  renders  the  Bible  access- 
ible to  all,  and  we  may  say  that  the  law  is  thus 
indirectly  a  means  of  grace,  to  use  the  technical 
religious  expression.  A  recent  annual  report  of 

1  In  the  baptism  of  children  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  the  minister  admonishes  the  parents  or  guardians  that 
it  is  their  part  and  duty  to  see  that  their  children  read  the  Holy 
Scriptures. 


186  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

the  American  Bible  Society  pointed  out  wide- 
spread illiteracy  in  the  United  States  as  one  of 
the  obstacles  most  difficult  to  overcome  in  its 
beneficent  activity,  and  suggested  the  passage  of 
laws  to  secure  at  least  a  minimum  amount  of 
education  to  every  child. 

The  penal  law  and  reformatory  institutions 
bring  to  mind  another  kind  of  beneficent  activity 
of  legislation.  The  moral  education  and  value 
of  penal  law  is  remarkable.  Missionary  workers 
among  the  poorer  and  more  ignorant  masses 
often  tell  us  that  positive  statute  law  furnishes 
millions  of  human  beings  with  nearly  all  their 
ideas  of  morality.  It  is  important,  on  the  one 
hand,  to  carry  forward  this  educational  work  of 
the  law;  and,  on  the  other,  to  educate  men  morally 
so  that  their  ideas  of  right  and  wrong  may  not 
be  bounded  by  legality.  While  it  is  true  that 
ideas  of  right  and  wrong  ought  to  go  much  fur- 
ther than  is  possible  for  law,  it  is  a  gain  when 
positive  law  can  re-enforce  the  requirements  of 
ethics,  giving  them  a  firmer  and  securer  ex- 
istence. When  we  look  back  upon  the  past  de- 
velopment of  mankind  we  must  admit  that  the 
moral  progress  of  the  human  race  has  been 
largely  due  to  law. 

Reformatory  institutions  established  by  law 
have  shown  their  power  to  reform  and  improve 
the  morally  defective  classes  of  the  community. 


Making  Men  Good  by  Law.  187 

If  reformatory  institutions  do  not  make  men  bet- 
ter, it  shows  that  there  is  something  radically 
wrong  in  them,  and  it  must  be  confessed  that 
such  is  too  often  the  case  with  our  jails,  prisons, 
and  penitentiaries.  When,  however,  the  Elmira 
Reformatory,  of  Elmira,  N.  Y.,  a  legal  institu- 
tion, is  able  to  report  that  eighty  per  cent  of 
those  who  leave  its  gates  are  permanently  re- 
formed, it  is  difficult  to  see  with  what  propriety 
it  can  be  said  that  you  cannot  make  men  good 
by  law. 

Anti-poverty  has  been  so  associated  with  a 
particular  sect  of  social  reformers  that  one  hesi- 
tates to  use  the  word,  yet  it  is  a  good  one,  and 
the  law  has  done  much  and  is  still  doing  much 
to  lessen  if  not  to  abolish  poverty,  especially  in 
its  acute  form  of  pauperism.  Christians  have 
ever  held  that  one  of  the  chief  functions  of  the 
State  is  the  elevation  of  the  weaker  members  of 
the  community.  A  reform  and  improvement  of 
the  Poor  Law  of  England  in  1834  is  generally 
believed  to  have  greatly  lessened  pauperism,  and 
although  this  law  is  not  all  that  it  ought  to  be, 
there  can  be  no  doubt  that  this  claim  for  it  is 
warranted  by  the  facts.1  Still  better  Poor  Laws 
in  German  cities  like  Leipzig,  Berlin,  and  Elber- 
feld  have  greatly  lessened  pauperism,  and  brought 

1  While  the  population  nearly  doubled,  the  number  of  per- 
sons in  receipt  of  public  relief  decreased  one  third. 


188  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

into  helpful  connection  the  strong  and  the  weak. 
Now  to  diminish  poverty  and  pauperism  means 
to  help  men  become  moral,  and  if  this  diminu- 
tion takes  place  by  law,  these  men  have  been 
made  good  by  statute.  We  often  talk  about  the 
classes  of  men  whom  Christ  reached,  and  about 
the  common  people  who  heard  Him  gladly,  but 
it  does  not  seem  to  have  been  pointed  out  that 
Christ  did  not  reach  paupers.  Christ  converted 
poor  people,  and  notorious  sinners  adhered  to 
Him.  We  read  of  at  least  a  few  rich  and  cul- 
tured persons  who  listened  to  the  words  of 
Christ,  and  who  were  among  His  early  followers, 
but  not  of  one  pauper.  All  experienced  workers 
among  the  various  defective  classes  in  the  com- 
munity will  tell  us  that  in  many  respects  the 
prospects  of  a  highway  robber  for  a  future 
honorable  and  useful  life  are  much  better  than 
those  of  a  confirmed  pauper. 

The  words  quoted  above  from  Professor  Ward's 
Dynamic  Sociology  supplement  the  preceding  re- 
marks. Legislation  has  accomplished  some- 
thing, statutes  do  help  to  make  men  good  ;  but, 
as  Professor  Ward  justly  remarks,  practical  so- 
ciology is  still  in  the  stone  age.  Laws  are 
chiefly  negative,  repressive,  and  mandatory, 
whereas  they  ought  to  be  attractive  and  per- 
suasive as  well.  Undoubtedly  positive  legisla- 
tion is  more  difficult  than  negative ;  but  when 


Making  Men  Good  by  Law.  189 

men  earnestly  give  their  thoughts  to  the  im- 
provement of  their  fellows,  and  study  sociology 
deeply,  it  will  be  found  practicable  to  develop  a 
great  body  of  attractive  laws.  We  have  followed 
too  exclusively  the  law  of  Rome,  and  have 
neglected  to  develop  the  excellent  features  which 
can  be  found  in  other  legal  systems  like  the 
Greek  and  Teutonic,  and  especially  the  Mosaic. 
The  Roman  law  is  undoubtedly  one  of  the 
greatest  products  of  the  mind  of  man,  and  yet  it 
is  extremely  imperfect,  and  some  of  its  weak- 
nesses were  at  least  partially  responsible  for  the 
downfall  of  Rome.  The  Roman  law  was  nega- 
tive and  repressive,  and  emphasized  rights 
rather  than  duties,  especially  so  as  far  as  prop- 
erty was  concerned,  and  strengthened  tendencies 
toward  plutocracy,  which  divided  population 
into  a  few  very  rich  and  a  vast  majority  of  poor 
people  and  paupers.  Some  beginnings  of  at- 
tractive and  persuasive  legislation  already  exist, 
and  perhaps  chief  among  them  rank  the  modern 
public-school  systems.  Rewards  for  meritorious 
conduct  are  not  unknown.  We  read  occasionally 
of  medals  and  prizes  awarded  in  the  Post  Office 
Department  for  excellent  work,  of  medals  granted 
to  policemen  and  firemen  for  courageous  con- 
duct, of  honors  conferred  upon  those  in  the  Life 
Saving  Service  who  have  hazarded  their  own 
lives  for  others.  European  countries  have  other 


190  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

incitements  to  virtue  and  patriotic  conduct. 
Men  who  have  rendered  distinguished  service  of 
any  kind  in  Germany  and  in  England  may  be 
raised  to  the  peerage,  and  they  may  be  rewarded 
even  with  large  grants  of  land  and  money. 
Monuments  are  erected  to  commemorate  worthy 
deeds  and  distinguished  services. 

Many  things  which  are  practicable  in  aristo- 
cratic European  countries  are  out  of  the  ques- 
tion in  the  United  States,  and  it  remains  for  us 
to  develop  a  system  of  rewards  to  take  the  place 
of  decorations,  titles,  and  patents  of  nobility. 
We  Americans  instinctively  feel  that  we  ought 
to  honor  and  reward  men  who  have  distinguished 
themselves  for  their  services  to  humanity  in 
general  or  to  their  country  in  particular.  This 
is  why  we  elected  General  Grant  President  of 
the  United  States.  He  was,  possibly,  not  the 
best  man  for  that  place,  and  it  was  not,  perhaps, 
the  best  kind  of  reward,  but  we  felt  that  we  must 
do  some  great  thing  for  him,  so  we  elected  him 
President  twice  by  overwhelming  majorities,  and 
many  of  us  were  even  inclined  to  trample  on  tra- 
dition and  elect  him  a  third  time. 


CHAPTER  X. 

INADEQUACY  OF  PRIVATE  PHILAN- 
THROPY FOR  SOCIAL  REFORM. 


13 


"  A  SHORT  time  ago  I  went  down  to  the  Pottery  district,  and 
was  told  of  the  unspeakably  degraded  condition  in  which  men, 
women,  and  children  lived  before  the  law  of  England  protected 
the  weak  against  the  greedy  and  the  strong ;  and  I  say  that 
when  Lord  Shaftesbury,  as  a  devout  believer  in  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  persuaded  this  country — amid  the  opposition  of  John 
Bright  and  a  great  many  sincere  friends  of  the  people,  who  did 
not  understand  the  bearings  of  the  question — to  decide  that  all 
over  England  the  weak  and  defenseless  should  be  protected  by 
these  acts,  he  did  more  to  establish  the  kingdom  of  Jesus 
Christ  than  if  he  had  merely  spent  his  time  in  preaching  thou- 
sands of  what  my  critic  would  call  Gospel  sermons." — Rev.  Hugh 
Price  Hughes,  M.A.,  Social  Christianity,  p.  28. 


Inadequacy  of  Philanthropy.  193 


CHAPTER   X. 

INADEQUACY  OP   PRIVATE  PHILANTHROPY  FOR  SOCIAL 
REFORM. 

WISE  words  were  those  uttered  two  thou- 
sand years  ago  :  "  When  thou  doest  thine 
alms,  do  not  sound  a  trumpet  before  thee,  as  the 
hypocrites  do  in  the  synagogues  and  in  the 
streets,  that  they  may  have  glory  of  men."  It 
cannot  be  said  that  private  philanthropy  has 
always  obeyed  this  scriptural  injunction.  Es- 
pecially is  it  true  in  our  day  that  the  achieve- 
ments of  private  philanthropy  are  heralded 
abroad  with  trumpets,  and  all  men  are  called 
upon  to  behold  the  deeds  of  private  philan- 
thropy with  admiration.  It  has  thus  happened 
that  the  possibilities  of  private  philanthropy 
have  been  exaggerated,  and  its  proper  place  as  a 
social  agency  has  been  misconceived.  Private 
philanthropy  plays  an  essential  role  in  all  higher 
civilization,  and  when  it  is  modest  and  unassum- 
ing, and  deprecates  all  sounding  of  trumpets,  it 
is  truly  a  glorious  thing.  It  is,  however,  spas- 
modic, irregular,  and  insufficient  for  social  re- 
form. It  is,  socially  considered,  an  auxiliary,  a 


194  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

subordinate.  Social  reform  must  be  accom- 
plished chiefly  by  established,  regularly  working 
institutions,  served  by  individual  effort  and 
strengthened  by  private  philanthropy. 

The  limitations  and  true  functions  of  private 
philanthropy  may  be  better  understood  if  we 
consider  it  in  relation  to  certain  lines  of  social 
work.  It  would  seem  that  charitable  relief  is 
the  sphere  of  all  others  for  private  effort,  yet  it 
may  be  seriously  questioned  whether  individual 
attempts  to  relieve  pauperism  have  not  done 
more  harm  than  good.  This  is  true  beyond  all 
question  so  far  as  almsgiving  is  concerned.  Ever 
since  the  modern  era  of  charities  began  we  have 
been  trying  to  correct  the  evils  of  private  philan- 
thropy as  well  as  of  public  effort  in  this  sphere 
of  social  activity.  Moreover,  the  evils  connected 
with  unwise  giving  to  alleviate  poverty  must  be 
corrected  with  the  aid  of  law  and  public  institu- 
tions. 

Let  us  turn  our  attention  to  education.  Pri- 
vate philanthropy  endeavored  to  provide  educa- 
tional facilities  for  all  sorts  and  conditions  of 
men,  and  this  effort  was  continued  for  centuries 
with  the  aid  of  the  Church.  With  what  success, 
however,  did  it  meet  ?  While  it  cannot  be  said 
that  nothing  was  achieved,  it  must  be  acknowl- 
edged that  what  was  accomplished  was  small  in- 
deed as  compared  with  the  achievements  of 


Inadequacy  of  Philanthropy.  195 

public  schools.  The  State  has  done  what  indi- 
vidual effort,  alone  and  unaided,  could  never  ac- 
complish— it  has  rendered  education  universal. 
Probably  the  experience  of  no  country  is  more 
instructive  than  that  of  England,  because  there 
private  individuals,  aided  by  the  Church,  were 
intrusted  with  the  duty  of  providing  educa- 
tional facilities  for  the  nation,  and  during  sev- 
eral hundred  years  had  a  fair  opportunity  to 
show  what  could  be  accomplished  in  this  way. 
Twenty-five  years  ago,  however,  the  State  under- 
took to  establish  an  educational  system  designed 
to  reach  every  child  in  England ;  and  in  this 
brief  period  the  State  has  made  more  progress 
than  was  made  by  private  philanthropy  in  three 
centuries.  The  efforts  of  despised  politicians 
were  incomparably  more  fruitful  in  proportion  to 
the  expenditure  of  energy  than  the  sacrifices  and 
exertions  of  philanthropists. 

The  question  may  be  raised  whether  inde- 
pendent private  effort  to  furnish  educational 
facilities  does  not  at  present  accomplish  more 
harm  than  good.  The  author  has  had  abundant 
opportunity  for  observation,  and  while  there  are 
many  exceptions,  and  brilliant  exceptions,  too, 
he  asserts  without  hesitation  that  the  education 
furnished  by  private  schools  is  mostly  inferior  in 
quality  and,  taking  it  all  in  all,  decidedly  below 
the  level  established  by  public  schools.  As  a 


196  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

rule,  private  schools  lack  the  first  condition  of 
success,  which  is  the  power  to  establish  disci- 
pline, because  they  are  too  dependent  upon  those 
who  patronize  them.  This  is  not  all,  however. 
Private  schools  divert  energy  and  attention  from 
public  schools,  and  tend  to  make  the  latter 
poorer  than  they  would  otherwise  be.  Private 
philanthropy,  as  represented  by  great  educa- 
tional societies  in  England,  was  opposed  to  State 
education.  It  was  an  obstacle  which  had  to  be 
overcome. 

The  author  often  thinks  of  the  labors  of  the 
late  lamented  Charles  Loring  Brace,  the  head  of 
the  Children's  Aid  Society  in  New  York.  He 
established  schools  for  poor  children,  and  was  at 
length  able,  with  the  support  of  private  philan- 
thropy, to  provide  educational  facilities  for  sev- 
eral thousand  destitute  children.  When,  how- 
ever, his  work  was  at  the  height  of  its  success, 
some  fourteen  thousand  children  were  turned 
away  from  the  doors  of  the  public  schools  be- 
cause there  was  no  room  for  them.  To  anyone 
who  knows  the  amount  of  energy  required  to 
support  properly  a  few  private  industrial  schools 
like  those  which  Mr.  Brace  established,  it  can 
scarcely  appear  doubtful  that  the  same  amount  of 
effort  and  private  philanthropy  expended  in  the 
improvement  of  the  public  schools  would  have 
prevented  the  disgraceful  turning  away  of  children 


Inadequacy  of  Philanthropy.  197 

from  their  doors,  and  would  have  improved  very 
appreciably  the  entire  public-school  system  of 
the  city,  thus  benefiting  the  hundreds  of  thou- 
sands who  attend  these  schools.  This  truth 
seems  to  be  perceived,  because  it  is  now  pro- 
posed to  amalgamate  these  schools  with  the 
public  schools  of  New  York.  The  main  point 
which  the  author  has  in  mind  is  well  brought 
out  by  a  writer  of  much  insight,  who  describes 
the  probable  result  as  "  greater  watchfulness  on 
the  part  of  the  workers  in  such  organizations  as 
the  Children's  Aid  Society,  to  the  end  that  the 
public  schools  may  now  completely  fill  the  re- 
quirements of  the  present  day." 

Probably  there  are  no  two  men  in  the  United 
States  whose  judgment  concerning  the  education 
both  of  the  Negroes  and  of  the  whites  in  our 
Southern  States  deserves  more  consideration 
than  Hon.  J.  L.  M.  Curry  and  Dr.  A.  D.  Mayo. 
They  have  both  recently  felt  called  upon  to  give 
emphatic  warning  against  reliance  on  private 
schools  and  the  dangerous  tendency  to  concen- 
trate attention  and  beneficence  on  these  schools 
rather  than  on  the  public  schools,  which  are  the 
chief  thing.  The  following  words  are  quoted 
from  Dr.  Mayo,  and  are  unreservedly  indorsed 
by  Mr.  Curry :  "  It  is  high  time  that  we  under- 

1  Dr.  Albert  Shaw  in  his  article,  "  The  Higher  Life  of  New 
York  City,"  in  The  Outlook,  January  25,  1896. 


198  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

stood  that  the  one  agency  on  which  the  Negroes 
and  nine  tenths  of  the  white  people  in  the  South 
must  rely  for  elementary  instruction  and  training 
is  the  American  common  school.  The  attempt 
to  educate  two  millions  of  colored  and  three  mil- 
lions of  white  American  children  in  the  South  by 
passing  around  the  hat  in  the  North ;  sending 
driblets  of  money  and  barrels  of  supplies  to  en- 
courage anybody  and  everybody  to  open  a  little 
useless  private  school ;  ...  all  this,  and  a  great 
deal  more  that  is  still  going  on  among  us,  with 
of  course  the  usual  exceptions,  has  had  its  day 
and  done  its  work.  The  only  reliable  method  of 
directly  helping  the  elementary  department  of 
Southern  education  is  that  our  churches  and 
benevolent  people  put  themselves  in  touch  with 
the  common-school  authorities  in  all  the  dark 
places,  urging  even  their  poorer  people  to  do 
more,  as  they  can  do  more,  than  at  present.  The 
thousand  dollars  from  Boston  that  keeps  alive 
a  little  private  or  denominational  school  in  a 
Southern  neighborhood,  if  properly  applied, 
would  give  two  additional  months,  better  teach- 
ing and  better  housing,  to  all  the  children,  and 
unite  their  people  as  in  no  other  way."  ' 

Sanitary  reforms  are  among  the  most  benefi- 
cent and  important  social  reforms  demanded  at 

1  The  Education  of  the  Negro,"  by  Hon.  J.   L.  M.  Curry. 
American  Magazine  of  Civics,  February,  1896. 


Inadequacy  of  Philanthropy.  199 

the  present  time.  When  we  touch  upon  sanitary 
reforms,  however,  we  find  that  individual  effort 
can  accomplish  almost  nothing,  except  in  so  far 
as  it  aids  and  supports  public  authority  by  help- 
ful co-operation.  The  experience  of  cities  in 
Europe  and  America  is  most  instructive.  Public 
authority  in  Chicago  diminished  the  percentage 
of  deaths  in  proportion  to  population  by  thirty  per 
cent  by  important  sanitary  arrangements.  The 
Mayor  of  Chicago,  in  his  annual  message  of  April 
1890,  says  that  the  death  rate  of  the  city  in  1889 
was  17.49  to  the  thousand,  and  that  this  lowered 
death  rate  was  "  due  mainly  to  the  extension  of 
the  sewer  system,  in  conjunction  with  the  vigi- 
lance of  the  Department  of  Health.  Through 
the  efficiency  of  the  corps  of  factory  and  tene- 
ment-house inspectors,  the  sanitary  police,  and 
others,  nearly  eighteen  thousand  official  visita- 
tions and  notices  combined  have  been  made  and 
served  for  the  purpose  of  correcting  various  vio- 
lations of  the  health  laws." 

Thousands  of  lives  are  saved  every  year  in 
Liverpool,  London,  and  Glasgow  by  the  improved 
conditions  of  life  introduced  by  public  authority, 
which  public  authority  alone  could  introduce ;  and 
sanitary  reforms  inaugurated  in  Berlin  a  few  years 
ago,  under  the  auspices  of  Professor  Virchow, 
one  of  the  leading  scientists  of  the  world,  have 
already  saved  hundreds  of  thousands  of  lives. 


200  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

The  reader  must  reflect  carefully  upon  what  this 
means.  It  does  not  mean  merely  fewer  deaths, 
but  less  illness,  greater  strength  and  robustness, 
for  the  population  as  a  whole,  consequently  a 
greater  capacity  for  self-support  and  self-help  of 
every  kind,  less  pauperism,  fewer  dependent 
widows  and  orphans.  We  may  contrast  what 
public  authority  has  accomplished  in  sanitary 
reform  with  the  achievements  of  private  philan- 
thropy in  the  housing  of  the  poor  in  cities,  both 
in  this  country  and  abroad,  but  especially  in  this 
country. 

The  need  of  improved  dwellings  for  the  poor 
was  pointed  out  in  New  York  city  a  generation 
ago,  and  the  appeal  to  private  philanthropy  to 
take  up  the  work  of  tenement-house  reform  has 
from  that  time  to  this  been  uninterrupted. 
Wealthy  Christians  in  particular  have  been  en- 
treated and  implored  to  enter  this  work,  and  all 
sorts  of  considerations  have  been  urged  why  they 
should  take  it  up.  The  appeal  has  been  to  self- 
interest  as  well  as  to  generosity.  There  is  more 
than  one  professed  Christian  in  New  York  city 
whose  resources  are  sufficient,  alone  and  unaided, 
to  renovate  the  tenement  houses  of  New  York 
city.  Yet  what  has  private  philanthropy  accom- 
plished ?  There  are  a  few  model  tenements  in 
New  York  and  Brooklyn,  but  in  proportion  to 
the  need  of  the  people  they  are  almost  less  than 


Inadequacy  of  Philanthropy.  201 

a  drop  in  the  bucket.  It  may  be  said  without 
hesitation  that  a  single  sanitary  law,  even  with 
imperfect  means  of  administration,  has  accom- 
plished more  for  the  tenement-house  population 
than  all  the  achievements  of  private  philanthropy 
in  a  generation. 

Compare  also  the  following,  quoted  from  St. 
Andrew 's  Cross,  February,  1896:  "  Richard  Wat- 
son Gilder,  the  editor  of  the  Century,  who  last  year 
served  his  city  as  the  Chairman  of  the  New  York 
Tenement- House  Commission,  says,  as  a  result 
of  observation  upon  a  recent  trip  abroad,  that 
the  European  slums  are  fast  disappearing  under 
the  enforcement  of  rigid  sanitary  laws.  Many 
buildings,  which  were  the  breeding  places  of 
disease  in  the  Whitechapel  district  of  London, 
have  been  torn  down  and  replaced  by  clean, 
wholesome  houses,  properly  equipped  with  all 
sanitary  appliances,  and  owned  and  controlled 
by  the  municipality."  We  have  no  reason  to 
believe  that  private  effort  alone  could  in  ten 
thousand  years  have  accomplished  this  result. 
On  the  other  hand,  we  can  never  secure  laws  of 
this  kind  without  private  effort,  and  in  the 
United  States,  at  least,  the  laws  once  secured 
cannot  be  enforced  without  a  vast  amount  of 
determined  and  probably  also  organized  private 
effort. 

We  can  also  see  in  this  connection  how  the 


202  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

success  and  possibilities  of  private  philanthropy 
are  overrated.  A  most  estimable  gentleman  in 
Brooklyn  has  established  some  model  tenements. 
The  example  which  he  has  set  has  had  compara- 
tively little  influence  ;  these  model  tenements  are 
reaching  perhaps  a  few  hundred  people ;  they 
furnish  the  subject  of  numerous  articles,  attention 
is  again  and  again  called  to  them,  and  honors  are 
conferred  upon  the  man  who  established  them. 
Far  be  it  from  the  author  to  detract  from  the 
praise  which  is  his  due,  yet  the  fact  ought  to  be 
emphasized  that  relatively  speaking  we  can  hardly 
say  that  anything  has  been  done  toward  the 
solution  of  the  problem.  Attention  is  fixed  upon 
the  few  reached  by  such  efforts,  but  the  millions 
unreached  are  forgotten.  On  the  other  hand, 
when  law  and  administration  reach  beneficially  a 
million  people,  it  is  all  taken  for  granted  as  a 
mere  matter  of  course,  and  it  is  not  thought 
worth  while  to  call  attention  to  blessings  con- 
ferred by  government. 

This  is  still  more  plainly  seen  in  the  educa- 
tional field.  It  is  a  noble  spectacle  to  see  the 
people  of  New  York  State,  rich  and  poor  alike, 
voluntarily  tax  themselves  seventeen  millions  of 
dollars  a  year  for  education ;  yet  this  achieve- 
ment of  self-government  is  scarcely  noticed, 
whereas  the  gift  of  a  few  millions  by  a  private 
man,  who  has  left  more  than  he  can  possibly 


Inadequacy  of  Philanthropy.  203 

need,  is  heralded  from  Dan  to  Beersheba,  and 
cannot  be  admired  sufficiently.  We  are  not  to 
detract  from  the  praise  we  owe  the  rich  man,  but 
we  should  not  lose  a  proper  sense  of  proportion. 
Industrial  reforms  ought  to  be  carefully  exam- 
ined in  order  to  determine  the  limits  and  func- 
tions of  legislation  and  administration  on  the  one 
hand,  and  of  private  philanthropy  on  the  other. 
Child  labor  has  been  a  great  and  growing  evil  in 
this  and  other  countries.  Attention  has  been 
called  to  it  in  the  press  and  in  the  pulpit.  Thou- 
sands— perhaps  hundreds  of  thousands — of  ser- 
mons and  editorials  have  appealed  to  the  individ- 
ual to  abate  the  evils  of  child  labor.  The  nature 
of  these  evils  has  been  explained  again  and  again. 
Child  labor  in  hundreds  of  thousands  of  cases 
destroys  mind,  body,  and  soul.  When  it  was  at 
its  worst  in  England,  physicians  testified  that  the 
generation  growing  up  was  stunted  in  body  and 
weak  in  intellect,  and  the  moral  evils  were  patent 
to  all  observers.  Nevertheless  it  may  it  be  said 
without  fear  of  contradiction  from  any  well-in- 
formed and  honest  person  that  private  philan- 
thropy, alone  and  unaided,  accomplished  simply 
nothing.  While  eloquent  sermons  were  preached, 
moving  editorials  penned,  and  even  poems  like 
Mrs.  Browning's  "  Cry  of  the  Children  "  written 
the  evil  of  child  labor  increased  without  interrup- 
tion until  the  strong  arm  of  the  law  interfered,  and 


204  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

owing  to  legislation  and  administration  the  worst 
evils  have  disappeared  in  England,  and  have  been 
greatly  lessened  in  States  like  Massachusetts. 

Sunday  labor  brings  us  to  another  topic  of  in- 
dustrial importance.  Private  philanthropy  is  so 
strongly  re-enforced  by  religion  when  it  attempts 
to  lessen  the  amount  of  Sunday  toil  that  perhaps 
something  appreciable  can  be  accomplished. 
Nevertheless,  the  evil  of  needless  Sunday  toil  can 
as  a  whole  be  abolished  only  by  legislation.  We 
may  take  up  many  other  industrial  reforms,  and 
we  will  find  that  as  a  matter  of  fact  private  phi- 
lanthropy has  not  accomplished  the  change 
needed  ;  and  if  we  analyze  industrial  phenomena, 
we  ascertain  that  it  never  can  secure  the  desired 
result.  The  reason  is  that  men  are  bound  to- 
gether in  industrial  life  by  the  law  of  social  soli- 
darity, and  within  certain  narrow  limits  w.hat  one 
does  the  others  must  do,  or  become  bankrupt. 
This  gives  the  worst  men  in  the  community  an 
enormous  power,  unless  they  are  restrained  by 
law.  If  one  barber  out  of  twenty  keeps  open  his 
barber  shop  on  Sunday,  the  temptation  for  the 
other  nineteen  is  stronger  because  they  are  com- 
petitors, and  they  fear  they  will  lose  a  part  of 
their  regular  business.  Among  the  other  nine- 
teen we  shall  find  at  least  one  who  will  follow  the 
example  of  the  least  scrupulous  among  the 
twenty.  We  shall  then  have  two  whose  barber 


Inadequacy  of  Philanthropy.  205 

shops  are  open  on  Sunday,  and  the  temptation 
to  the  other  eighteen  becomes  still  stronger,  and 
at  least  another  will  yield  quickly.  Thus  the 
temptation  to  do  business  on  Sunday  will  contin- 
ually increase,  until  the  twentieth  man  will  find 
himself  confronted  with  the  alternative  of  keeping 
his  shop  open  on  Sunday  or  quitting  business. 
It  is  thus  that  an  entire  trade  may  become  de- 
moralized. Barbers  have  been  known  to  raise 
money  to  secure  the  passage  of  a  city  ordinance 
closing  barber  shops,  and  the  Sunday  closing  of 
barber  shops  has  been  advocated  by  the  national 
organization  of  the  barbers  and  thus  become  a 
live  question  in  our  cities.  The  author  has  him- 
self heard  a  photographer  in  New  York  say  that 
he  would  gladly  give  one  hundred  dollars  to  have 
a  law  passed  closing  all  the  photographic  galleries 
in  the  city  on  Sunday,  in  order  that  he  might 
close  his  without  becoming  a  bankrupt.  We 
have  in  all  this  what  the  author  has  called  the 
problem  of  the  twentieth  man. 

The  great  lines  of  social  reform  must  be  the 
concern  of  agencies  which  work  steadily  and  per- 
sistently, and  the  support  of  which  does  not  de- 
pend upon  the  life  of  any  individual  or  on  the 
vicissitudes  of  individual  fortune.  These  are, 
however,  always  individual  cases  which  require 
individual  treatment,  and  they  furnish  the  chief 
field  for  private  effort  and  generosity.  A  private 


206  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

individual  may  discover  a  poor  boy  with  a  great 
talent  for  art  and  educate  him,  and  thus  confer  a 
benefit  upon  the  community. 

There  are  always  many  persons  temporarily  in 
need  and  distress  who  can  be  better  assisted 
quietly  by  private  philanthropy,  and  in  fact 
can  only  be  relieved  by  such  philanthropy. 
There  is  also  abundant  opportunity  for  individ- 
ual effort  of  every  kind  in  assisting  in  improving 
the  action  of  public  agencies.  The  administra- 
tion of  law  with  us  is  imperfect,  and  is  so  arranged 
that  it  often  fails  to  protect  the  poorer  members 
of  the  community.  The  Chicago  Bureau  of 
Justice  illustrates  the  kind  of  effort  needed  to 
help  poor  people  protect  their  rights.  It  is  or- 
ganized by  private  effort,  its  very  efficient  secre- 
tary is  a  competent  lawyer,  and  it  undertakes  to 
secure  justice  for  those  who  are  comparatively 
helpless,  especially  for  wage-earning  women. 
With  small  outlay  it  has  benefited  thousands 
directly,  and  tens  of  thousands  indirectly, 
because  it  is  feared  by  unscrupulous  oppressors. 
It  endeavors,  however,  not  merely  to  render  the 
machinery  of  law  available  to  all,  but  it  attempts 
also  to  improve  this  machinery,  so  that  it  may  be 
less  difficult  for  the  ordinary  man  to  secure  his 
rights.1 

'The  annual  reports  of  this  society  are  most  instructive.     For 
these  reports  and  other  information  the  reader  should   apply  to 


Inadequacy  of  Philanthropy.  207 

The  Elberfeld  system  of  poor  relief  is  an  ex- 
cellent model,  because  it  combines  so  admirably 
private  and  public  agencies.  Poor  relief  was  ad- 
ministered by  the  city  for  a  time  unsuccessfully, 
and  it  was  then  turned  over  by  the  city  to  the 
churches  and  private  effort  combined,  but  that 
experiment  did  not  work  well,  and  finally  the 
city  again  took  charge  of  poor  relief,  but  in  such 
a  manner  as  to  secure  the  active  co-operation  of 
the  best  private  citizens. 

It  was  thus  that  the  so-called  Elberfeld  sys- 
tem of  poor  relief  was  established.  It  means  the 
organization  of  charities  by  public  authorities, 
their  unification  through  the  municipality,  and 
their  general  supervision  by  regular  officials  ; 
but  these  are  assisted  by  some  hundreds  of  private 
citizens  who  serve  as  friendly  visitors.  Every 
condition  of  success  is  thus  present.  The  evils 
of  giving  are  reduced  to  a  minimum,  the  benefits 
of  giving  increased,  and  pauperism  is  greatly  less- 
ened. It  is  not  said  that  this  precise  system  can 

Joseph  W.  Errant,  Esq.,  Agent  and  Attorney,  Rooms  718  and 
719,  Garden  City  Block,  Randolph  Street  and  Fifth  Avenue, 
Chicago,  111.  The  New  Century  Club  of  Philadelphia  has 
organized  a  Committee  on  Legal  Protection  for  workingwomen, 
and  furnishes  advice,  court  charges,  and  counsel  free  to  women 
who  work  for  their  living,  and  are  too  poor  or  uninformed  of 
legal  methods  to  protect  themselves.  Information  regarding 
methods,  etc.,  can  be  obtained  from  Mrs.  S.  C.  F.  Hallowell, 
Chairman,  124  South  Twelfth  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
14 


208  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

be  transplanted  to  our  shores,  but  it  is  asserted 
without  hesitation  that  the  harmonious  co-oper- 
ation of  public  authority  and  private  effort  is 
needed  to  secure  the  best  results. 

Let  no  one  say  that  the  office  of  private  phi- 
lanthropy is  not  sufficiently  large.  Without  it, 
nothing  can  be  accomplished.  In  a  vast  field  it 
alone  has  undisputed  sway,  and  in  this  field  no 
willing  worker  need  lack  opportunity  for  useful- 
ness, and  no  one  with  surplus  wealth  can  say  that 
the  calls  upon  him  will  not  be  sufficiently  large, 
even  if  public  activity  has  an  enlarged  scope. 
Moreover,  private  philanthropy  must  precede 
legislation  and  make  it  possible,  and  it  must  en- 
lighten public  opinion,  or  good  laws  cannot  be 
enforced.  Sanitary  reform  and  factory  acts  have 
been  brought  about  by  the  efforts  of  philanthro- 
pists. What  is  wanted  is  to  direct  philanthropy 
into  proper  channels,  in  order  that  thus  it  may 
accomplish  the  greatest  good  of  which  it  is  capa- 
ble. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

OUR  EARNINGS. 


"  IT  is  impossible  to  conclude,  of  any  given  mass  of  acquired 
wealth,  merely  by  the  fact  of  its  existence,  whether  it  signifies 
good  or  evil  to  the  nation  in  the  midst  of  which  it  exists.  Its 
real  value  depends  on  the  moral  sign  attached  to  it  just  as  sternly 
as  that  of  a  mathematical  quantity  depends  on  the  algebraical 
sign  attached  to  it.  Any  given  accumulation  of  commercial 
wealth  may  be  indicative,  on  the  one  hand,  of  faithful  indus- 
tries, progressive  energies,  and  productive  ingenuities ;  or,  on 
the  other,  it  may  be  indicative  of  mortal  luxury,  merciless  tyr- 
anny, ruinous  chicane.  Some  treasures  are  heavy  with  human 
tears,  as  an  ill-stored  harvest  with  untimely  rain  ;  and  some  gold 
is  brighter  in  sunshine  than  it  is  in  substance." — Ruskin,  Unto 
This  Last,  ii. 


Our  Earnings.  211 


CHAPTER  XI. 

OUR    EARNINGS. 

BY  the  ancients,  both  among  the  Jews  and 
among  other  highly  civilized  nations,  much 
has  been  written  on  the  acquisition  of  wealth. 
The  best  given  us  by  the  Jews  on  this  subject  is 
naturally  found  in  the  Bible,  and  perhaps  nothing 
better  has  been  given  us  by  the  wise  men  of  old 
of  other  nations  than  is  found  in  the  writings  of 
Plato  and  Aristotle.  There  is  singular  unanimity 
on  the  part  of  these  ancient  writers  in  regard  to 
many  fundamental  points  which  touch  the  acqui- 
sition of  wealth.  Moreover,  there  is  general 
harmony  on  the  part  of  the  fathers  of  the  Church 
and  their  successors  up  to  modern  times,  as  well 
as  of  wise  political  philosophers  of  all  ages, 
touching  the  fundamental  principles  involved  in 
the  acquisition  of  wealth.  John  Wesley,  in  his 
sermon  on  "  The  Use  of  Money,"  '  presents  lead- 
ing principles  clearly  which  will  guide  us  wisely  if 
simply  elaborated  so  that  they  may  be  made  ap- 
plicable to  our  new  times.  Our  age  is  doubtless 
one  of  progress,  but  the  careful  student  can 
1  Wesley,  Sermons,  vol.  i,  pp.  444-448. 


212  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

scarcely  fail  to  see,  in  particulars,  retrogression. 
There  hardly  seems  to  be  dominant  as  clear  ideas 
and  as  sound  ideas  touching  our  earnings  as 
those  which  have  been  current  in  past  ages. 

If  we  open  our  Bibles  and  examine  what  the 
various  writers  in  the  Bible  have  said  concerning 
the  acquisition  of  wealth, .one  of  the  first  things 
which  must  strike  us  is  the  praise  of  moderation. 
The  greatest  weight  is  attached  to  this,  and  it  is 
made,  indeed,  a  duty  of  high  rank.  The  utterances 
of  the  Bible  on  this  point  agree  in  the  main  with 
the  teachings  of  Plato  and  Aristotle.  While  the 
various  bodies  of  Christians  claim  that  the  Bible 
gives  sufficient  guidance  in  all  affairs  of  life,  all 
enlightened  persons  are  glad  to  receive  subsid- 
iary aid  from  other  writers,  and  it  may  be  well  to 
give  a  short  space  to  the  ideas  of  the  great  social 
philosophers  who  have  just  been  named. 

Plato  states  that  the  very  rich  man  can  hardly 
be  a  very  good  man,  and  he  gives  certain  reasons 
for  his  view.  He  says  that  there  are  different 
sources  of  acquisition,  those  which  are  just  and 
those  which  are  unjust,  and  that  he  who  derives 
riches  from  both  sources  indifferently,  will  gain 
more  than  double  the  wealth  of  him  who  derives 
his  riches  from  just  sources  only.  The  bad  man 
has,  moreover,  an  advantage,  Plato  claims,  in  the 
expenditure  of  money,  spending  only  half  as 
much  as  the  good  man.  "  The  sums,"  says  he, 


Our  Earnings.  213 

"  which  are  expended  neither  honorably  nor  dis- 
gracefully are  only  half  as  great  as  those  which 
are  expended  honorably  and  on  honorable  pur- 
poses." It  thus  happens,  according  to  Plato,  that 
the  good  man  cannot  be  wealthier  than  the  bad 
man.  On  the  other  hand,  "The  utterly  bad  man 
is  in  general  profligate  and  therefore  very  poor; 
while  he  who  spends  on  noble  objects  and  ac- 
quires wealth  by  just  means  only  can  hardly  be 
remarkable  for  riches,  any  more  than  he  can  be 
very  poor."  Plato  again  and  again  comes  back 
to  the  position  that  the  end  of  the  state  is  the 
production  of  men  and  not  of  wealth,  and  that 
moderation  secures  the  best  results. 

Aristotle  views  the  subject  in  its  broader  as- 
pects, and  gives  special  attention  to  the  political 
effects  of  accumulations  which  go  beyond  a  mod- 
erate competence.  He  fears  poverty,  which  he 
claims  leads  to  revolutions  ;  but  he  regards  great 
wealth  as  even  more  destructive.  He  dreads 
what  he  styles"  the  encroachments  of  the  rich."8 
In  another  place  Aristotle  uses  these  words: 
"  Those  who  have  too  much  of  the  goods  of  for- 
tune, strength,  health,  friends,  and  the  like,  are 
neither  willing  nor  able  to  submit  to  authority. 
The  evil  begins  at  home :  for  when  they  are  boys, 
by  reason  of  the  luxury  in  which  they  are  brought 

1  Jewett's  Plato,  vol.  v,  p.  125. 

2  Jewett's  Politics  of  Aristotle,  pp.  131,  145. 


214  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

up,  they  never  learn  even  at  school  the  habit  of 
obedience.  On  the  other  hand,  the  very  poor  who 
are  in  the  opposite  extreme  are  too  degraded. 
.  .  .  Thus  arises  a  city,  not  of  freemen,  but  of 
masters  and  slaves,  the  one  despising,  the  other 
envying."  Aristotle  also  points  out  the  danger 
that  the  cares  of  property  will  keep  men  from 
attending  to  public  business.2 

The  ideal  of  the  Bible  with  respect  to  earnings 
is  given  in  Agur's  prayer :  "  Give  me  neither  pov- 
erty nor  riches;  feed  me  with  food  convenient 
for  me :  lest  I  be  full,  and  deny  thee,  and  say, 
Who  is  the  Lord  ?  or  lest  I  be  poor,  and  steal, 
and  take  the  name  of  my  God  in  vain."  '  In  an- 
other chapter  in  Proverbs  we  read  these  words : 
"  He  that  tilleth  his  land  shall  have  plenty  of 
bread.  ...  A  faithful  man  shall  abound  with 
blessings :  but  he  that  maketh  haste  to  be  rich 
shall  not  be  innocent  [Revised  Version,  "un- 
punished "].  .  .  .  He  that  hasteth  to  be  rich  hath 
an  evil  eye,  and  considered!  not  that  poverty 
shall  come  upon  him."  * 

When  we  turn  from  the  Old  to  the  New  Testa- 
ment, we  find  the  same  ideas  expressed  with 
equal  emphasis.  We  remember  what  our  Saviour 
said  about  the  difficulty  with  which  a  rich  man 
could  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  Heaven.  St. 

1  Jewett's  Politics  of  Aristotle,  p.  127.       9  Ibid.,  pp.  119,  120. 
3  Proverbs  xxx,  8,  9.  *  Proverbs  xxviii,  19,  20,  22. 


Our  Earnings.  215 

Paul  utters  these  well-known  words :  "  But  they 
that  will  be  rich  fall  into  temptation  and  a  snare, 
and  into  many  foolish  and  hurtful  lusts,  which 
drown  men  in  destruction  and  perdition.  For 
the  love  of  money  is  the  root  of  all  evil."  ' 

This  moderation,  which  is  the  ideal,  means 
negatively  an  avoidance  of  hurtful  desires  for 
large  acquisitions  and  of  those  wrong  practices 
which  spring  out  of  the  bad  disposition.  But 
positively  it  means  diligence,  thrift,  and  all  right- 
ful efforts  to  acquire  a  competence.  The  Bible, 
and  the  other  writings  which  have  been  quoted, 
all  insist  upon  this  positive  aspect  of  the  ideal. 
The  dangers  of  poverty  are  pointed  out.  Aris- 
totle speaks  of  the  temptation  to  crime  and  rev- 
olution which  poverty  carries  with  it.  Agur's 
prayer  points  to  the  danger  that  poverty  may 
lead  to  a  denial  of  God.  St.  Paul  admonishes 
Christians  to  be  diligent  in  business,  not  sloth- 
ful. Apart  from  the  public  dangers  which  attend 
poverty,  other  evils  follow  from  a  lack  of  dili- 
gence and  foresight  and  the  self-denial  involved 
in  frugality.  First,  we  must  notice  that  if  we  do 
not  exert  ourselves  to  acquire  the  things  need- 
ful, there  is  danger  that  we  may  become  a  burden 
upon  others.  Second,  we  must  remember  that 
without  these  efforts  which  are  commended  to 
acquire  a  moderate  supply  of  material  goods,  we 

1  r  Timothy  vi,  9,  IO. 


216  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

shall  not  have  a  surplus  ourselves  to  do  for  those 
who  need  our  help.  Of  course,  there  will  ever 
be  those  who,  in  spite  of  all  they  can  do,  through 
accident,  infirmity,  etc.,  will  require  help,  and 
provision  must  be  made  for  these ;  and  it  is  no 
reproach  to  these  to  accept  gratefully  the  help 
cheerfully  proffered. 

Moreover,  moderation  leads  to  contentment, 
which  is  highly  prized.  While  making  all  due 
effort  to  improve  our  condition,  we  are  at  the 
same  time  enjoined  to  be  content  with  what  we 
have. 

If  space  were  not  too  limited,  a  cloud  of  wit- 
nesses could  be  quoted,  all  of  them  emphasizing 
again  and  again  the  dangers  of  wealth  and  the 
importance  in  all  particulars  of  moderation  in  our 
efforts  to  acquire  wealth.  As  it  is,  we  must  be 
content  with  only  one  or  two  quotations.  Bishop 
Wilson,  who  is  quoted  approvingly  by  Matthew 
Arnold,1  uses  these  words :  "  Riches  are  almost 
always  abused  without  a  very  extraordinary 
grace."  Professor  Bruce,  in  his  Kingdom  of  God, 
expresses  himself  as  follows:  "Possession,  or 
wealth,  in  every  form,  is  conservative,  cautious, 
slow  in  sympathy,  and  languid  in  support ; 
whether  it  be  the  intellectual  wealth  of  knowl- 
edge, or  the  moral  wealth  of  character,  or  the 
material  wealth  of  outward  property.  The  role 
1  Culture  and  Anarchy ',  p.  167. 


Our  Earnings.  217 

of  the  rich  in  wisdom,  wealth,  or  gold,  is  not  that 
of  the  ardent  pioneer,  but  of  the  tardy  patriot ; 
so  they  miss  the  glory  of  martyrdom  and  also  its 
pain.  Their  place  in  the  history  of  the  kingdom 
is  a  very  mean  one ;  in  the  more  heroic  phases 
of  that  history  they  are  mainly  conspicuous  by 
their  absence." '  It  will  be  noticed  that  he 
speaks  of  the  "  wise  "  much  as  Christ  does.  In 
another  place  he  says :  "  The  wise  espouse  no 
cause  when  it  is  new."  *  Those  familiar  with  our 
higher  institutes  of  learning  know  what  a  large 
measure  of  truth  there  still  is  in  this  assertion 
concerning  the  conservatism  of  those  who  have 
much  book  learning. 3 

The  reasons  for  this  ideal  of  moderation  in 
wealth  acquisition  have  been  already  expressly 
stated  or  implied.  One  of  the  weightiest  is  that 
craving  for  wealth  turns  away  attention  from 
higher  spiritual  things.  This  is  seen  with  great 
clearness  by  Plato,  who  uses  these  words :  "  For 
there  are,  in  all,  three  things  about  which  every 
man  has  an  interest ;  and  the  interest  about 
money,  when  rightly  regarded,  is  the  third  and 
last  of  them  ;  midway  comes  the  interest  of  the 

1  Kingdom  of  God,  p.  302.  2  Ibid.,  p.  302. 

1  "  A  learned  class  will  appreciate  indeed  certain  thoughts  to 
which  the  multitude  are  indifferent,  but  not  wholly  new  thoughts, 
not  thoughts  foreign  to. its  learning." — Sir  J.  R.  Seeley,  Natural 
Religion,  p.  103. 


218  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

body  ;  and,  first  of  all,  that  of  the  soul."  '  How 
strikingly  in  harmony  is  this  with  the  thought 
of  the  Biblical  writers !  Christ,  Himself,  makes 
special  mention  of  the  deceitfulness  of  riches  as 
one  of  the  causes  which  hinder  the  extension  of 
the  kingdom. 

We  notice,  also,  the  dangers  to  our  own  mind 
and  body  which  accompany  undue  and  feverish 
activity  in  the  acquisition  of  wealth  ;  likewise  the 
neglect  of  the  bodies,  minds,  and  souls  of  others, 
which  too  frequently  attends  immoderate  efforts 
in  wealth  acquisition,  and  also  the  neglect  of 
civic  duties.  When  we  are  bent  upon  wealth, 
we  employ  indifferently  the  just  and  unjust 
sources  of  its  acquisition.  Again,  it  is  to  be  ob- 
served that  poverty  is  one  of  the  dangers  which 
threaten  those  who  make  haste  to  be  rich.  They 
take  undue  risks,  and  frequently  lose  their  all. 
How  many  hundreds  of  thousands  of  families  in 
this  broad  land  would  to-day  enjoy  a  competence, 
who  now  live  in  poverty,  had  they  not  made 
haste  to  be  rich." 

A  few  points  must  be  elaborated  further,  and 

1  Jewett's  Plato,  p.  126. 

4  An  analysis  of  the  causes  of  failures  in  business  in  the 
United  States  since  1892  has  been  made  by  one  of  our  com- 
mercial agencies,  and  it  is  alleged  that  haste  to  be  rich,  shown 
in  capital  inadequate  for  the  business  undertaken,  is  the  chief 
cause  ;  commercial  crisis  ranks  second  ;  incompetency,  third  ; 
and  fraud,  fourth. 


Our  Earnings.  219 

we  cannot  do  better  than  to  take  them  up  some- 
what in  the  order  in  which  we  find  them  in 
Wesley's  sermon  on  "  The  Use  of  Money." 

Wesley  strongly  insists  upon  the  importance 
of  diligence  and  the  utmost  use  of  rightful  oppor- 
tunities in  wealth  acquisition,  but  he  points  out 
the  dangers  which  must  be  avoided.  We  ought 
not  to  gain  money,  he  tells  us,  at  the  expense  of 
our  life  or  of  our  health  ;  therefore,  we  should 
never  enter  into  nor  continue  in  an  employment 
"  attended  with  so  hard  or  so  long  labor  as  to 
impair  our  constitution."  Proper  seasons  of 
food  and  sleep  in  such  proportion  as  our  nature 
requires  must  not  be  neglected.  But  as  we 
seek  occupation  under  such  conditions  for  our- 
selves, we  must  likewise  avoid  anything  which 
can  injure  in  these  particulars  our  neighbors. 
Unduly  long  hours  and  unhealthful  avocations 
are  especially  mentioned.  Wesley  speaks  about 
lead  workers,  and  lead  working  is  still  an  un- 
healthful occupation.  He  also  condemns  em- 
ployments dealing  with  arsenic  or  other  hurtful 
minerals.  As  a  mere  matter  of  course,  it  follows 
from  his  premises  that  Sunday  work  must  be 
avoided,  or,  in  case  Sunday  work  is  a  necessity, 
that  one  day  of  rest  in  seven  should  be  secured. 

We  observe  that  Wesley  treats  this  subject 
chiefly  from  an  individual  point  of  view.  We 
must  now  add  the  social  point  of  view,  for  the 


220  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

character  of  our  industrial  life  has  changed  es- 
sentially since  Wesley  wrote  his  sermon.  The 
modern  era  of  competition,  based  upon  division 
of  labor  and  exchange,  is  essentially  a  product 
of  this  century,  and  it  gives  us  social  solidarity  of 
such  a  sort  that  the  individual  alone  is  unable  to 
govern  the  conditions  under  which  he  works  and 
earns  his  daily  bread,  or,  indeed,  acquires  a  com- 
petence. Wesley  had  in  mind,  evidently,  the  man 
working  in  a  small  shop  or  on  a  farm,  and  who 
could  regulate  largely  the  conditions  of  his  toil. 
We  must  think  of  the  street-car  employee  who 
has  to  work  frequently  too  many  hours  a  day, 
and  very  often  seven  days  in  a  week,  or  else  lose 
his  occupation.  We  must  remember  the  army 
of  those  who  are  employed  in  great  factories  and 
manufacturing  establishments,  and  who  must  toil 
under  conditions  which  are  the  same  for  all,  and 
which  are  beyond  the  control  of  the  individual. 
It  is  these  modern  conditions  which  have  given 
rise  to  the  modern  system  of  factory  legislation, 
prohibiting  the  toil  of  very  young  children,  lim- 
iting the  toil  of  young  persons  and  women, 
safeguarding  the  home,  prescribing  healthful 
conditions  under  which  toil  must  be  conducted. 
All  this  is  entirely  in  line  with  Wesley's  rules  of 
industrial  conduct  and  a  necessary  deduction 
from  it. 

But  one  quotation  from  Wesley  is  important 


Our  Earnings.  221 

because  it  points  to  practices  which  it  seems 
were  not  unknown  in  his  day,  but  with  the 
growth  of  great  industry  have  become  far  more 
serious.  "  We  cannot,"  says  Wesley,  "  consist- 
ently, with  brotherly  love,  sell  our  goods  below 
the  market  price ;  we  cannot  study  to  ruin  our 
neighbor's  trade  in  order  to  advance  our  own ; 
much  less  can  we  entice  away  or  receive  any  of 
his  servants  or  workmen  whom  he  has  need  of. 
None  can  gain  by  swallowing  up  his  neighbor's 
substance  without  gaining  the  damnation  of 
hell." '  The  application  to  current  conditions  is 
self-evident.  Those  competitive  methods  which 
increase  our  own  substance  at  the  expense  of 
our  neighbor's  prosperity  are  condemned  in  the 
strongest  terms. 

Another  strong  point  made  by  Wesley,  and 
which  is  found  also  in  the  Discipline  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church,  is  that  we  must  not  de- 
fraud the  king  (that  is  to  say,  the  state)  of  his 
lawful  customs.  This  is  done  in  many  ways  at 
the  present  time.  There  are  still  those  who 
smuggle  goods  into  the  country,  and  it  is  notice- 
able that  women  especially  seem  to  have  little 

1  This  cannot  be  applied  to  legitimate  competition  so  long  as 
we  have  a  competitive  system  of  industry,  but  it  does  apply, 
as  Wesley  intended  it  should,  to  deliberate  attempts  to  break 
down  our  rivals  and  secure  a  monopoly,  partial  or  complete,  for 
ourselves. 


222  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

conscience  in  this  matter,  their  singular  defi- 
ciency in  this  respect  probably  being  due  to  their 
lack  of  civic  training,  and  consequently  civic 
consciousness.  But  this  implies,  likewise,  any 
withholding  of  taxes  of  any  sort  due  to  nation, 
commonwealth,  or  city  ;  or  any  traffic  which  de- 
rives a  gain  from  frauds  upon  the  public  treasury. 
It  is  furthermore  specially  noticed  that  we 
must  not  hurt  our  neighbor  by  selling  him  any- 
thing which  is  injurious  to  him.  Spirituous  liq- 
uors are  particularly  mentioned,  and  Wesley's  note 
in  regard  to  the  character  of  the  traffic  in  intox- 
icating beverages  is  as  clear  as  anyone  could  de- 
sire. He  says  that  the  curse  of  God  rests  upon 
the  wealth  thereby  gained.  Food  adulterations 
would  come  under  this  same  head,  and  here  like- 
wise we  see  the  need  of  social  regulation.  The 
problem  of  the  "  twentieth  man  "  again  confronts 
us.  One  begins  to  adulterate  his  food  products, 
and  through  the  force  of  competition  others 
gradually  fall  in  line  until  an  entire  trade  is 
demoralized.  The  position  which  is  taken  in 
the  Discipline  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
with  respect  to  temperance  reform,  in  which  it  is 
stated  that  it  "  rests  chiefly  upon  the  combined 
and  sanctified  influence  of  the  Family,  the  Church, 
and  the  State  "  is  applicable  generally  to  those 
reforms  which  have  been  suggested  with  respect 
to  our  earnings. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

OUR  SPEND1NGS. 


15 


"THE  idea  of  ancient  Roman  civilization  should  be  reproduced 
in  our  day:  'Private  expenditures  were  small,  public  expenditures 
large.'  We  may  be  simple  in  our  habits  although  surrounded  by 
wealth  ;  and,  by  using  the  more  costly  appliances  in  our  posses- 
sion for  the  general  enjoyment,  we  may  realize  the  Christian  idea 
of  a  stewardship.  This  is  the  tendency  which  the  Church  must 
foster  in  social  life  among  all  classes  of  its  members." — The 
Hon.  and  Rev,  W.  H.  Fremantle,  D.D.,  The  World  as  the 
Subject  of  Redemption,  p.  346. 


Our  Spendings.  225 


CHAPTER   XII. 

OUR    SPENDINGS. 

OUR  spendings  are  closely  connected  with 
our  earnings.  Consumption  of  wealth  is 
the  purpose  of  acquisition.  He  who  spends 
without  earning  is  a  parasite,  a  cumberer  of  the 
ground,  living  upon  the  toil  of  others.  But  earn- 
ing in  this  case  must  be  understood  in  a  very 
broad  sense  and  include  any  useful  service.  Man 
does  not  live  by  bread  alone,  but  the  service  to 
justify  consumption  ethically  must  be  an  indi- 
vidual service.  The  fact  that  a  person  may  have 
acquired  wealth  by  gift,  or  inheritance,  does  not 
justify  consumption  on  any  ethical  grounds,  un- 
less his  acquired  wealth  is  attended  with  personal 
service. 

Individual  responsibility  is  more  pronounced 
in  our  spendings  than  in  our  earnings.  We  find  an 
established  social  system  into  which  we  are  placed, 
and  in  our  earnings,  within  certain  limits,  we  must 
be  governed  by  the  social  system  which  exists. 
The  very  words  "  social  system  "  suggest  some- 
thing formed  by  society  and  which  can  be  changed 
only  by  society.  The  individual,  to  produce 


226  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

changes  in  the  social  system,  must  work  in  and 
through  society.  But  when,  as  a  result  of  our 
efforts  within  the  social  system,  which  exists,  we 
receive  certain  sums  of  wealth  annually,  these 
sums  are  largely  within  our  individual  control, 
and  we  must  be  held  individually  responsible  for 
our  use  of  our  power  to  make  expenditures. 

The  supreme  law  which  governs  us  in  our 
spending  is  the  law  of  mutual  love.  "  Love  thy 
neighbor  as  thyself"  is  a  principle  which  must 
be  applied  to  this  department  of  our  life  as  to 
all  others.  The  test  question  for  the  individual 
is  this :  "  Do  I,  in  my  spendings — or  what  we 
call,  in  Political  Economy,  my  '  consumption  ' — 
show  that  I  love  my  neighbor  equally  with  my- 
self?" 

John  Wesley  has  given  the  following  directions 
to  guide  us  in  our  consumption :  "  If  you  desire 
to  be  a  faithful  and  a  wise  steward,  out  of  that 
portion  of  your  Lord's  goods  which  He  has  for 
the  present  lodged  in  your  hands,  but  with  the 
right  of  resuming  whenever  it  pleases  Him,  first, 
provide  things  needful  for  yourself:  food  to  eat, 
raiment  to  put  on,  whatever  nature  moderately 
requires  for  preserving  the  body  in  health  and 
strength.  Secondly,  provide  these  for  your  wife, 
your  children,  your  servants,  or  any  others  who 
pertain  to  your  household.  If,  when  this  is  done, 
there  be  an  overplus  left,  then  '  do  good  to  them 


Our  Spendings.  227 

that  are  of  the  household  of  faith.'  If  there  be 
an  overplus  still,  '  as  you  have  opportunity,  do 
good  unto  all  men.'  "  ' 

We  have  here  an  order  of  expenditure  which 
is  helpful.  I  must  first  provide  for  myself  and 
for  my  family.  And  the  provision  for  one's  self 
and  the  members  of  one's  family  includes  the 
training  of  all  our  powers  and  faculties,  and  the 
maintenance  of  our  strength.  This  sometimes 
involves  a  large  expenditure,  as  in  the  case  of  a 
musician,  an  artist,  or  a  scholar.  This  dispropor- 
tionate expenditure  might  seem  at  first  sight 
selfish  and  a  violation  of  the  principle  of  mutual 
love.  Considered  more  carefully,  it  is  not,  pro- 
vided these  powers,  developed  and  maintained 
at  their  best,  are  used  in  social  service.  There 
is  no  power  like  that  of  a  gifted  and  thoroughly 
trained  man  devoted  to  the  well-being  of  others. 
His  powers  are  of  indefinitely  greater  value  to 
society  than  anything  needful  for  their  full  cultiva- 
tion and  maintenance.  The  family  must  come 
before  others.  We  proceed  from  self  to  larger 
and  larger  circles.  There  are  those  who  would 
bring  a  reproach  against  Christ  because  in  their 
opinion  he  had  no  regard  for  the  family.  There 
is  no  ground,  however,  for  the  supposition  that 
He  was  wanting  in  any  respect  in  consideration 
of  those  members  of  the  family  into  which  He 

1  Sermons,  vol.  i,  p.  447. 


228  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

was  born.  While  hanging  on  the  cross  in  in- 
tensest  agony  He  was  able  to  think  of  His  mother, 
and  instructed  His  beloved  disciple  to  care  for 
her  as  his  mother.  "When  Jesus  therefore  saw 
His  mother,  and  the  disciple  standing  by,  whom 
He  loved,  He  saith  unto  His  mother,  Woman, 
behold  thy  son  !  Then  saith  He  to  the  disciple, 
Behold  thy  mother !  And  from  that  hour  that 
disciple  took  her  unto  his  own  home."  ' 

But  clearly  and  unquestionably  Christ  taught 
that  our  circles  must  expand  until  the  whole 
world  should  be  included.  We  should  in  our 
spending,  so  far  as  may  be,  have  reference  to  the 
welfare  of  the  entire  world.  We  must  not  neg- 
lect the  family.  Families  build  up  nations.  We 
must  not  neglect  the  nation,  for  it  is  through  the 
nation  that  humanity  is  lifted  up ;  but  we  can 
never  stop  short  of  entire  humanity.  As  it  is 
narrow  and  hurtful  even  to  the  family  to  confine 
one's  interests  to  the  family,  so  it  is  likewise 
narrow  and  hurtful  even  to  the  nation  to  restrict 
one's  benevolence  to  one's  own  nation.  All  the 
nations  of  the  world  are  our  concern.  It  is  a 
shortsighted  and  selfish  policy  of  social  reform- 
ers to  denounce  foreign  missions  ! 

But  we  must  consider  our  expenditures  in  the 
broadest  sense.  We  are  not  concerned  merely 
with  material  wealth,  but  with  personal  services 

1  John  xix,  26,  27. 


Our  Spendings.  229 

of  every  kind,  and  with  all  our  powers.  The 
talent  intrusted  to  us  may  be  some  intellectual 
gift,  or  it  may  be  a  quantity  of  material  wealth, 
and  the  responsibility  is  as  great  in  the  former 
case  as  in  the  latter.  All  our  time  is  some- 
thing for  the  use  of  which  we  are  equally  respon- 
sible. 

The  reason  why  we  should  proceed  from 
smaller  to  larger  circles  is  obvious  upon  a  little 
reflection.  It  is  in  this  way  that  all  wants  will 
best  be  satisfied  and  that  the  general  welfare  will 
best  be  promoted.  We  have  only  to  ask  our- 
selves this  question,  What  would  happen  if  we 
proceeded  in  the  reverse  way  ?  to  see  clearly  that 
this  is  true.  It  requires,  indeed,  judgment  and 
self-examination  to  hold  a  true  balance  between 
all  the  claims  upon  us.  There  are  those  who 
unduly  neglect  the  narrower  circle  with  which 
we  may  begin,  but  there  can  be  no  doubt  that 
the  more  general  fault  is  of  the  opposite  kind. 
There  is  such  a  thing  as  family  selfishness  as  well 
as  purely  individual  selfishness.  It  is  a  part  of 
a  higher  and  better  civilization  to  overcome  both. 
Fortunately  there  are  those  standing  outside  the 
narrower  circles  of  interest  who  can  give  them- 
selves entirely  to  the  larger  circles. 

It  is  helpful  to  classify  our  wants.  We  make 
expenditures  for  necessaries,  for  conveniences, 
for  comforts,  and  for  ostentation.  Such  a  classi- 


230  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

fication  may  be  sufficient  for  present  purposes. 
Our  consumption  will  follow  along  the  line  of 
this  classification.  Necessaries  must  first  be  pro- 
vided. Other  things  being  equal,  we  must  place 
upon  a  higher  plane  the  necessaries  of  others 
than  those  things  which  are  to  us  merely  con- 
veniences and  comforts.  The  considerations,  how- 
ever, which  we  have  already  adduced  will  show 
that  often  other  things  are  not  equal.  Conveni- 
ences and  comforts  may  be  helpful  to  us  in  our 
work,  and  thus  find  ample  justification.  When 
we  come,  however,  to  expenditures  for  ostenta- 
tion, for  mere  show  and  display,  we  must  draw  a 
sharp  line ;  they  are  absolutely  interdicted  by 
the  law  of  mutual  love.  We  cannot  find  any 
justification  in  ourselves  for  such  expenditures. 
Any  attempted  justification  when  analyzed  is 
found  to  involve  ignorance  of  the  real  nature  of 
our  acts,  or  juggling  with  ourselves.  Such  ex- 
penditures are  what  we  may  call,  properly,  lux- 
uries, and  they  are  condemned,  not  only  by  wise 
political  philosophers  of  all  ages,  but  by  the 
fathers  of  the  Church,  with  singular  unanimity. 
How  can  I  claim  that  I  love  my  brother  as  my- 
self when  I  see  him  need  the  very  necessaries  of 
life  and  expend  money  for  that  which  contributes 
in  no  measure  to  my  real  well-being  ?  The  whole 
tone  of  the  Bible,  from  beginning  to  end,  con- 
demns in  the  strongest  terms  anything  of  the 


Our  Spendings.  231 

kind.  Not  only  this,  but  anything  of  the  kind 
is  condemned  explicitly  in  the  severest  language, 
over  and  over  again,  and  it  is  an  entire  contra- 
diction to  the  example  which  Christ  set  us  in 
His  own  life. 

A  further  discrimination  may  be  made  between 
expenditures  for  exclusive  and  those  for  inclu- 
sive pleasures.  Food  and  clothing  are  exclu- 
sively consumed.  I  alone  enjoy  my  consumption 
of  these  articles.  A  house  is  more  inclusive  in 
the  satisfactions  it  affords.  It  may  minister  to 
many.  Still  another  distinction  is  that  between 
outlays  for  things  which  quickly  perish  and  those 
which  endure  for  a  long  time.  Other  things 
being  equal,  the  expenditures  for  inclusive  pleas- 
ures are  ethically  preferable  to  those  for  ex- 
clusive pleasures,  although  many  delight  in  ex- 
clusiveness  as  such,  showing  a  mind  the  exact 
opposite  of  that  of  Christ.  Naturally,  also,  an 
expenditure  unjustifiable  for  an  object  which 
would  yield  pleasures  but  for  a  moment,  might 
require  no  justification  if  it  were  for  an  object  of 
enduring  value. 

It  may  be  worth  while  to  stop  for  a  moment 
to  consider  one  very  lame  justification  which 
people  frequently  use  as  a  salve  to  conscience  in 
their  attempted  evasion  of  social  responsibility. 
It  is  said  that  luxury  gives  employment.  Louis 
XIV,  one  of  the  most  extravagant  kings  of 


232  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

France,  said,  "  When  a  king  makes  great  outlays, 
he  gives  alms."  A  newspaper  writer,  speaking 
of  certain  extravagant  social  events  which  oc- 
curred a  few  years  since,  used  these  words : 
"  Murmurs  against  luxury  may  be  heard  among 
people  in  straitened  circumstances  when  the 
lavish  expenditures  and  sumptuous  pleasures  of 
great  society  entertainments  are  discussed.  But 
such  persons  are  prone  to  forget  that  these  ex- 
penditures that  seem  so  prodigal  go  in  large 
part  to  benefit  the  working  people."  We  cannot 
consider  now  all  the  economic  fallacies  involved 
in  arguments  of  this  kind.  They  have  been  ex- 
posed over  and  over  again  by  able  men.  It  may, 
however,  simply  be  pointed  out  that  the  same 
expenditure  made  in  behalf  of  others  would  give 
equal  employment  to  labor.  Let  us  take  the 
case  of  a  man  who  contributes  a  million  dollars 
for  a  public  building,  and  contrast  it  with  the 
case  of  a  man  who  spends  a  million  dollars  on 
his  own  private  house.  Labor  has  equal  employ- 
ment in  both  cases,  but  the  benefit  of  the  toil 
accrues  to  the  public  in  the  one  case,  and  in  the 
other  to  the  selfish  enjoyment  of  an  individual. 
Another  comparison  :  Contrast  the  expenditure 
of  ten  thousand  dollars  for  an  evening's  enter- 
tainment with  an  expenditure  of  ten  thousand 
dollars  for  books  for  a  public  library.  Labor  is 
alike  employed  in  both  cases,  but  in  the  second 


Our  Spendings.  233 

case  the  enjoyment  is  more  widely  diffused  and 
is  of  a  far  more  enduring  character.  This  at- 
tempted justification  is  precisely  on  a  line  with 
that  which  people  advance  for  the  maintenance 
of  gambling  dens  and  the  support  of  the  traffic 
in  intoxicating  beverages.  As  the  author  writes, 
there  lies  before  him  a  long  description  of  a  vast 
brewery ;  emphasis  is  laid  upon  the  large  em- 
ployment which  it  gives  to  labor  both  directly 
and  indirectly.  Mention  is  made  of  the  hop 
raisers  in  various  parts  of  the  country  and  to  the 
growers  of  barley.  The  article  closes  with  the 
statement  that  every  keg  of  beer  sold  by  this 
New  York  brewery  "  helps  to  buy  pianos  for  our 
farmers'  wives  and  daughters."  The  late  Pro- 
fessor Cairnes,  an  able  and  conservative  political 
economist,  uses  these  words  concerning  the 
abundant  expenditures  of  the  idle  rich  :  "  Polit- 
ical economy  furnishes  no  such  palliation  of  un- 
mitigated selfishness.  .  .  .  The  wealth  accumu- 
lated by  their  ancestors,  or  others,  on  their  be- 
half, when  it  is  employed  as  capital,  no  doubt 
helps  to  sustain  industry.  But  what  they  con- 
sume in  luxury  and  idleness  is  not  capital,  and 
helps  to  sustain  nothing  but  their  own  unprofit- 
able lives.  By  all  means  they  must  have  their 
rents  and  interest  as  it  is  written  in  the  bond  ; 
but  let  them  take  their  proper  place  as  drones  in 
the  hive,  gorging  at  a  feast  to  which  they  have 


234  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

contributed  nothing." '  The  whole  of  this  will  not 
apply  to  the  industrious  rich,  but  what  has  been 
said  condemns  likewise  their  luxury,  which  is 
contrary  to  the  doctrine  of  stewardship,  and 
violates  the  law  of  mutual  love. 

The  principles  which  are  under  discussion,  how- 
ever, admit  of  greater  inequalities  than  one  might 
at  first  suppose.  Needs  vary  indefinitely.  We 
have  the  variation  found  in  inequalities  of 
capacities  and  faculties  already  mentioned.  The 
differences  in  expenditures  required  for  the  best 
and  harmonious  development  of  all  our  powers 
vary  immensely.  Moreover,  apart  from  personal 
development,  what  is  necessary  to  one  person 
may  be  wanton  extravagance  to  another.  A  large 
library,  costing  thousands  of  dollars,  is  a  wise 
consumption  for  many  individuals,  although  the 
housing  of  it,  and  the  care  of  it,  also,  involve  con- 
tinuous expenditures.  But  for  the  majority,  the 
expenditure  for  books  which  is  wise  is  limited, 
especially  since  the  era  of  public  libraries.  Again, 
the  positions  which  different  men  occupy  cause 
large  variations  in  justifiable  expenditures.  A 
man  in  public  station  frequently  cannot  live  in  a 
manner  which  would  be  proper  for  him  if  his 
station  were  a  private  one.  Not  only  this,  but 
his  expenditures  in  many  respects  have  a  public 
character,  and  their  benefits  are  widely  diffused. 

1  Some  Leading  Principles  of  Political  Economy,  pp.  32,  33. 


Our  Spendings.  235 

The  writer  has  in  mind  the  president  of  a  uni- 
versity in  one  city,  whose  expenditures  exceed 
many  times  what  would  be  possible  for  the  aver- 
age mechanic  or  farmer,  and  which,  nevertheless, 
are  wisely  and  generously  made.  Strangers  of 
distinction  are  entertained  and  hospitality  ex- 
tended to  professors  and  students.  The  benefits 
of  a  refined  and  cultivated  home  are  shared  by 
many.  The  writer  has  also  in  mind  a  household 
in  another  city  which,  in  the  entertainment  of 
strangers  and  the  extension  of  hospitality  to  per- 
sons of  distinction  coming  to  the  city,  for  years 
occupied  almost  a  semipublic  position.  It  is 
altogether  fitting  and  proper  that  men  who  have 
attained  distinction  on  account  of  their  services 
in  art  or  letters,  or  on  account  of  their  high  po- 
sition in  the  State,  should  receive  suitable  recog- 
nition when  they  visit  other  parts  of  their  own 
country  or  foreign  lands.  The  reader  can  continue 
this  line  of  thought  for  himself.  It  may  be  ap- 
plied to  the  President  of  the  United  States,  or 
an  American  ambassador  at  a  court  of  a  foreign 
power.  The  purpose  is  to  show  that  while  we 
must  draw  a  line  and  condemn  most  strongly  the 
wanton  luxury  of  our  period,  we  must  make  dis- 
criminations ;  above  all  things,  we  must  never  be 
animated  by  petty  envy  and  jealousy.  Yet  there 
never  was  a  time  for  plainer  speaking  on  this 
subject.  Now  is  the  time  for  prophets  to  arise 


236  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

with  a  message  :  "  Thou  art  the  man  ;  "  and  to 
bring  home  to  us  our  shortcomings  with  respect 
to  our  wealth  consumption.  Yet  it  is  not  merely 
the  rich  who  stand  condemned,  but  the  disposi- 
tion which  is  found  in  all  social  classes,  and  which 
expresses  itself  now  in  one  way  and  now  in  an- 
other. The  disease  is,  indeed,  widespread. 

The  discrimination  which  has  already  been 
made  suggests  other  distinctions  which  must  be 
borne  in  mind.  We  cannot  at  all  place  upon  the 
same  plane  private  and  public  expenditures. 
Expenditures  for  private  galleries,  libraries,  and 
mansions,  which  must  be  condemned  without 
reservation,  are  amply  justified  when  made  for 
public  purposes.  Millions  of  dollars  expended 
for  public  galleries  of  art  are  justified  because 
their  benefits  extend  to  countless  thousands,  and 
continue  for  generations.  The  large  diffusion 
of  benefits,  the  satisfaction  and  the  joy  in  fine 
architecture,  will  justify  grand  public  buildings. 
Such  expenditure  as  this  tends  to  elevate  the 
public  life.  It  will  naturally  follow,  from  what 
is  said,  that  the  author  cannot  join  in  the  con- 
demnation of  the  expenditure  of  millions  for 
a  magnificent  church  or  a  great  cathedral,  pro- 
vided always  that  the  structure  is  to  be  adminis- 
tered for  the  benefit  of  the  masses,  and  not  for 
the  private  enjoyment  of  the  few.  If  the  struc- 
ture is  to  be,  as  it  is  asserted  some  church  build- 


Our  Spendings.  237 

ings  are,  a  sort  of  clubhouse  for  millionaires,  then 
it  cannot  be  approved  from  an  ethical  standpoint. 
But  if  it  is  to  be  a  grand  architectural  work  for 
the  spiritual  uplifting  of  men,  the  expenditure  is 
a  wise  one. 

Another  line  of  thought  is  suggested  by  im- 
provements in  wealth  production.  As  things 
become  cheaper  their  enjoyment  may  become 
more  widely  diffused,  and  that  which  was  a  lux- 
ury at  one  time  can  no  longer  be  placed  in  this 
category  at  present.  This  process  will  continue 
indefinitely.  What  we  condemn  is  not  the  enjoy- 
ment of  what  nature  and  'society  provide  ;  ascet- 
icism finds  no  sanction  in  this  book.  The  main 
point  is  the  limitation  of  resources,  or,  as  some 
one  has  said,  that  there  is  not  enough  material 
wealth  to  go  round  and  satisfy  all  needs.  When 
we  spend  large  sums  for  what  is  rare  and  costly, 
we  lessen  our  power  to  satisfy  more  urgent  needs 
of  others ;  but  when  rare  and  costly  things  be- 
come common,  the  consumption  of  them  must 
be  judged  differently. 

What  has  just  been  stated  suggests  another 
excuse  which  men  urge  to  justify  themselves  in 
self-indulgence.  It  is  said  that  it  is  the  luxury 
of  the  rich  which  encourages  improvements,  and 
thus  that  such  consumption  finds  justification. 
A  little  careful  reflection,  however,  will  show 
within  what  narrow  limits  this  is  true.  More- 


238  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

over,  the  justifiable  inequality  of  which  we  have 
spoken,  and  the  large  public  consumption  for  the 
satisfaction  of  social  needs  already  mentioned, 
together  with  other  forces  continuously  operating, 
will  be  quite  sufficient  to  bring  about  improve- 
ments ;  or,  should  there  be  any  slight  loss  in  this 
one  particular,  it  would  be  counterbalanced  by 
an  immense  gain  in  other  respects. 

Different  tests  have  been  proposed  to  determine 
what  may  be  justified  in  way  of  personal  expend- 
iture, and  what  we  must  condemn.  A  person 
who  examines  himself  conscientiously  in  this  re- 
gard cannot  be  very  seriously  perplexed,  and  at 
any  rate  is  not  likely  to  spend  too  much  upon 
himself.  Occasionally  a  conscientious  person  will 
spend  even  too  little  upon  himself  because  he 
fails  to  appreciate  the  importance  of  the  cultiva- 
tion and  maintenance  of  all  that  he  has  within 
himself. 

We  have  heard  much  lately  about  the  diffi- 
culties of  giving,  and  these  have  been  so  strangely 
magnified  as  to  suggest  the  thought  that  we  have 
to  do  with  another  false  plea  for  the  evasion  of 
social  responsibility.  A  highly  esteemed  religious 
periodical  quoted  a  millionaire  approvingly  who 
used  these  words:  "  Let  anyone  attempt  to  give 
away  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  a  year,  and 
do  good,  not  harm,  in  the  giving,  and  he  will  find 
that  he  has  undertaken  a  task  of  much  greater 


Our  Spendings.  239 

difficulty  than  the  making  of  one  hundred  thou- 
sand dollars  a  year."  This  utterance  was  spoken 
of  as  the  "  truth,  patent  and  appalling."  A 
short  time  previously,  however,  this  same  peri- 
odical printed  an  appeal  for  a  gift  of  one  hun- 
dred thousand  dollars  for  an  institution  which  it 
was  claimed  was  doing  admirable  work;  and 
shortly  afterward  an  editorial  appeared,  entitled 
"  Three  Urgent  Calls." 

A  bishop  in  one  of  our  Southern  States  re- 
cently said  in  an  address :  "  One  of  the  two  or 
three  enormously  and  absurdly  rich  men  in  the 
country — dead  now,  and  enjoying  a  little  rest  I 
hope — said  to  me  once,  '  I  envy  you.'  '  Envy 
me?'  I  asked.  'Yes;  you  are  a  free  man,  your 
own  master,  and  doing  and  saying  hopeful  things 
to  people  every  day  ;  and  I  am  like  a  blind  horse 
in  a  bark-mill,  tramping  the  same  monotonous 
path  round  the  safe  that  contains  the  deeds  and 
securities."  The  bishop  offered  to  help  him 
bear  his  burden.  He  knew  exactly  where  five 
millions  would  found  a  university,  doing  enor- 
mous good;  where  another  million  would  endow 
ten  missionary  bishoprics ;  where  five  millions 
more  could  be  used  advantageously  toward  the 
instruction  and  Christianizing  of  seven  million 
Negroes.  The  bishop  also  mentioned  places 
where  several  other  millions  could  be  used;  but, 
although  the  rich  man  would  still  have  been 

1G 


240  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

struggling  under  a  burden  of  millions,  he  de- 
clined the  proposal. 

From  what  the  writer  knows  of  the  bishop, 
and  of  his  situation,  he  has  no  doubt  that  all 
these  millions  could  have  been  employed  to  good 
advantage  in  the  ways  pointed  out. 

Mistakes  have  been  made,  doubtless,  in  giving, 
and  much  money  has,  through  insufficient  thought, 
been  given  unwisely.  Much  which  has  been 
given  in  such  manner,  as  to  do  some  good,  might, 
with  greater  wisdom,  have  been  so  given  as  to  have 
accomplished  greater  good.  Still,  it  is  true  that 
we  have  heard  altogether  too  much  about  the 
difficulties  of  giving,  and  thus  there  has  been  a 
tendency  to  dry  up  the  springs  of  generosity.  It 
is  stated  here  and  there  that  it  is  becoming  more 
and  more  difficult  to  raise  money  for  good  works, 
and  the  number  of  givers  remains  comparatively 
small  on  the  contribution  lists  for  benevolent  en- 
terprises ;  in  all  our  cities,  the  same  names  recur 
again  and  again. 

The  greatest  difficulty  in  giving  is  in  giving  to 
individuals  who  are  needy.  Anything  of  the 
kind,  especially  in  the  form  of  almsgiving,  is 
difficult,  and  it  is  doubtless  true  that  it  would 
be  difficult  for  a  millionaire  himself  to  give 
away  in  alms  anything  like  one  hundred  thou- 
sand dollars  a  year,  and  to  give  it  helpfully. 
This  giving  to  needy  individuals  requires  per- 


Our  Spendings.  241 

sonal  contact  and  personal  knowledge.  It  is 
to  overcome  the  difficulties  of  giving  of  this 
kind  that  Charity  Organization  Societies  have  been 
established,  and  that  we  have  developed  what  is 
called  scientific  charity. 

Perhaps  it  may  be  laid  down,  as  a  general  rule, 
that  giving  to  individuals  is  especially  the  func- 
tion of  those  who  themselves  are  poor,  or  only 
moderately  well-to-do.  A  very  rich  man,  almost 
of  necessity,  gets  too  far  away  from  needy  indi- 
viduals to  help  them.  As  his  wealth  increases 
he  grows  away  from  the  needy,  and,  moreover, 
he  is  especially  liable  to  imposition. 

Yet,  there  are  many  different  ways  of  giving, 
and  it  is  not  easy  to  feel  that  any  earnest  man 
can  find  it  difficult  to  give  advantageously  all 
the  surplus  which  he  is  able  to  spare,  even  if  he 
adheres  most  rigidly  to  Christian  principles  in 
regard  to  his  own  expenditures  and  those  of  his 
family.  If  one  is  a  believer  in  foreign  and  do- 
mestic missions — and  no  one  can  fail  to  believe 
in  both  who  accepts  Christianity — a  way  at  once 
is  opened  to  him  for  the  expenditure  of  millions 
of  money.  It  is  said  that  even  now  nearly,  if 
not  quite  all,  of  our  boards  of  missions  are  in 
debt. 

When  we  turn  to  educational  enterprises  the 
opportunities  for  giving  are  simply  unlimited. 
A  man  may  well  take  time  in  order  to  choose 


242  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

between  various  objects  presented,  but  there  is 
no  lack  of  opportunity  for  disposal  of  more  mil- 
lions than  any  living  human  being  has.  The 
writer  sees  how,  in  the  institution  with  which  he 
is  connected,  millions  could  be  expended  wisely. 
And  probably  there  is  no  professor  in  any  insti- 
tution in  our  land  who  would  not  undertake  to 
use  all  the  money  that  could  be  placed  at  his  dis- 
posal. What  are  the  things  that  occur  to  the 
writer  ?  One  or  two  may  be  mentioned  :  Scholar- 
ships and  fellowships,  as  an  aid  to  gifted  young  men 
and  women  in  the  development  of  their  faculties 
for  social  service  ;  a  building  for  the  Young  Men's 
and  Young  Women's  Christian  Associations,  as  a 
headquarters  for  their  religious  work  among  the 
fifteen  hundred  students  in  his  own  university ; 
dormitories,  established  and  maintained  by  Chris- 
tian people,  under  Christian  influences,  which 
would  be  genuine  homes  for  the  young  men  and 
young  women  in  this  institution;  an  adequately 
endowed  department  of  Economics  and  Politics 
which  would  be  as  amply  equipped  for  its  work 
as  any  department  of  Natural  Science.  These 
are  illustrations  which  might  be  continued  in- 
definitely. 

When  we  turn  to  free  public  libraries,  and 
think  of  the  good  that  has  been  accomplished 
by  their  establishment  in  different  communities, 
and  of  the  large  number  of  communities  in  the 


Our  Spendings.  243 

country  without  such  an  educational  institution, 
we  see  here,  likewise,  almost  unlimited  oppor- 
tunities for  giving.  One  hundred  million  dollars 
could  be  wisely  expended  within  a  year  in  estab- 
lishing free  public  libraries  in  different  cities  of 
the  United  States.  The  entire  South  is  almost 
destitute  of  the  blessings  of  free  public  libraries. 

But  mention  of  the  South  reminds  us  again 
of  its  large  Negro  population,  and  also  its  large, 
illiterate  white  population,  both  of  which  need 
aid  in  the  development  of  educational  and  re- 
ligious institutions. 

The  common  schools  of  the  country  are  in 
many  particulars  inferior,  and  millions  of  money 
could  be  wisely  used  in  their  development  and 
improvement.  A  far  larger  proportion  of  in- 
dividual effort  and  private  philanthropy  ought 
to  be  turned  in  this  direction.  A  few  years 
ago  some  philanthropists  in  Boston  contributed 
money  to  add  new  features,  like  cooking,  to  the 
public  schools.  They  defrayed  the  expenses  of 
the  experiment,  and  when  the  stage  of  experi- 
mentation was  passed  the  work  was  taken  up 
and  carried  forward  by  the  taxpayers.  Private 
philanthropy  has  likewise  encouraged  the  estab- 
lishment of  kindergartens,  bearing  the  entire  ex- 
pense until  the  taxpayer  could  be  educated  up 
to  an  adequate  appreciation  of  their  mission. 
This  is  philanthropy  of  the  most  fruitful  sort. 


244  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

We  have  also  our  denominational  schools  and 
colleges  which,  like  the  public  schools,  must  be 
reckoned  with  as  a  permanent  force.  Their  funds 
are  inadequate,  and  even  with  a  wise  policy  of 
consolidation  and  co-operation  with  public  insti- 
tutions, like  that  pursued  in  some  quarters,  their 
needs  are  pressing  and  large,  and  afford  a  field  for 
wise  giving.  Especially  must  one  remember  that 
theological  training  is  exclusively  committed  to 
private  efforts,  and  the  endowments  of  our  the- 
ological schools  are  sadly  inadequate.  At  a  time 
like  the  present,  when  the  demands  on  the  pulpit 
are  becoming  so  vast,  training  schools  for  pastors 
and  preachers  must  especially  appeal  to  the 
thoughtful  Christian  of  means. 

If  we  turn  to  the  slums  of  our  cities,  we  find 
there  countless  thousands  who  need  our  help, 
and  who  can  be  saved  from  their  evil  surround- 
ings by  efforts  of  the  right  sort.  It  has  been 
proved,  by  experience  of  the  Children's  Aid  So- 
cieties and  other  agencies,  that  the  majority  of 
the  children  living  in  the  slums  can  be  brought 
up  to  lead  useful  and  honorable  lives  if  their 
surroundings  are  changed  and  right  influences 
brought  to  bear  upon  them.  '*  Save  the  children 
to-day,  and  you  have  saved  the  nation  to-mor- 
row." In  the  redemption  of  the  slums  of  our 
cities  we  have  opportunities  for  the  application 
of  social  service  of  many  times  the  number  of 


Our  Spendings.  245 

workers  now  found  in  them,  and  also  for  the  use 
of  millions  upon  millions  of  money. 

The  work,  however,  which  is  to  be  done,  can- 
not be  done  by  any  one  class  in  the  community 
alone ;  each  one  is  responsible  according  to  his 
talents,  whatever  they  may  be.  It  will  not  do 
for  the  rest  of  the  community  to  stand  aside  and 
wait  for  millionaires  to  take  action.  A  poor  per- 
son with  very  small  material  resources  can  often 
accomplish  a  large  work.  Moreover,  it  is  always 
unwise  for  the  wealthy  by  their  gifts  to  take 
responsibility  off  the  shoulders  of  others.  Sev- 
eral rich  men  recently,  in  giving  to  institutions, 
have  made  it  a  condition  that  others  should 
make  contributions  also.  One  of  the  wealthy 
men  of  the  United  States,  whose  favorite  form 
of  benevolence  is  public  libraries,  says  that  he 
does  not  think  it  worth  while  to  give  a  public  li- 
brary to  any  city  which  is  not  willing  to  tax  itself 
for  the  support  of  the  institution.  The  readiness 
of  most  of  us  to  appeal  to  the  wealthy,  and  to 
roll  upon  them  all  the  public  burdens  which  they 
are  willing  to  carry,  suggests  a  disposition  which 
is  a  counterpart  of  the  niggardliness  of  some  rich 
men.  It  is  always  well  to  bear  in  mind  what  has 
been  so  frequently  and  so  wisely  said  concern- 
ing the  importance  of  helping  others  to  help 
themselves. 

It  would  be  possible  to  continue  the  discussion 


246  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

of  the  opportunities  for  giving,  both  material 
means  and  personal  services,  indefinitely.  There 
are  about  us  those  who  need  our  help  of  both 
kinds,  as  well  as  institutions  which  can  be  advan- 
tageously sustained  and  strengthened.  All  our 
resources  are  insufficient  for  the  work  which  lies 
ready  at  our  hand.  Now,  as  ever,  "  the  harvest 
truly  is  plenteous,  but  the  laborers  are  few,"  '  and 
their  resources  are  inadequate. 

1  Matthew  ix,  37. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

WHAT  TO  DO. 


"AND  respecting  human  feelings  generally,  I  think  that  we 
may  lay  down  this  law  :  That  in  proportion  as  they  are  exerted 
on  higher  objects,  they  may  safely  be  allowed  to  grow  more  and 
more  intense  ;  there  can  be  no  danger  in  our  loving  God  too 
much,  if  only  we  understand  His  true  nature,  nor  any  possibility 
of  abuse  in  devoting  our  lives  for  the  good  of  man,  if  only  we 
know  the  means  by  which  that  good  is  to  be  attained." — Jow- 
ett,  College  Sermons,  p.  162. 

"  Men  formerly  thought  that  the  simple  direct  action  of  the 
benevolent  instincts  by  means  of  self-denying  gifts  was  enough 
to  remedy  the  misery  they  deplored  ;  now  we  see  that  not  only 
thought,  but  historical  study  is  also  necessary." — Arnold  Toyn- 
bee,  The  Industrial  Revolution  in  England,  p.  94. 

"  When  you  have  found  your  work,  whatever  it  be,  give  your- 
self to  it  with  all  your  heart,  and  make  the  resolution  in  God's 
sight  never  to  go  to  your  rest  leaving  a  stone  unturned  which 
may  help  your  aims.  Half-and-half  charity  does  very  little  good 
to  the  objects  ;  and  is  a  miserable,  slovenly  affair  for  the  work- 
ers. And  when  the  end  comes  and  the  night  closes  in,  the  long, 
last  night  of  earth,  when  no  man  can  work  any  more  in  this 
world,  your  milk-and-water,  half-hearted  charities  will  bring  no 
memories  of  comfort  to  you.  They  are  not  so  many  'good 
works '  which  you  can  place  on  the  credit  side  of  your  account, 
in  the  mean,  commercial  spirit  taught  by  some  of  the  Churches. 
Nay,  rather,  they  are  only  solemn  evidences  that  you  knew  your 
duty,  knew  you  might  do  good,  and  did  it  not,  or  did  it  half- 
heartedly !  What  a  thought  for  those  last  days  when  we  know 
ourselves  to  be  going  home  to  God,  God — whom  at  bottom,  after 
all,  we  have  loved  and  shall  love  forever — that  we  might  have 
served  Him  here,  might  have  blessed  His  creatures,  might  have 
done  His  will  on  earth  as  it  is  done  in  heaven,  but  we  have  let 
the  glorious  chance  slip  by  us  forever." — Life  of  Frances  Power 
Cobbe,  by  Herself,  pp.  554,  555. 


What  to  Do.  249 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

WHAT   TO  DO. 

THE  demand  for  a  practical  program  is  a  nat- 
ural one.  One  will  say,  "  Here  am  I,  a 
clerk  in  a  drygoods  house;  what  must  I  do?" 
Another,  "  Here  am  I,  a  worker  on  a  farm  ;  what 
does  the  social  message  of  Christianity  mean  for 
me  ?  "  Another  will  say,  "  I  am  a  teacher ;  what  is 
the  thing  for  me  to  do  now,  and  here  ?  "  So  repre- 
sentatives of  various  industrial  classes,  the  pastor, 
the  merchant,  the  legislator,,  the  judge,  all  ask 
the  question,  "  What  have  I  to  do  if  I  would  follow 
the  social  teachings  of  Christianity  ?"  What  are 
the  practical  conclusions  drawn  from  the  general 
principles  which  have  been  already  elaborated? 

A  complete  guide  of  conduct  is  out  of  the  ques- 
tion. We  have  liberty,  and  with  liberty  goes 
responsibility.  No  one  can  keep  at  our  elbow 
perpetually,  turning  us  now  in  this  direction, 
now  in  that ;  we  would  then  become  automata 
and  not  free  personalities  ;  we  would,  indeed, 
become  things  and  not  persons  at  all.  No  prob- 
lem that  presents  itself  is  precisely  like  a  previous 
problem,  and  we  must  decide  the  problems  as 


250  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

they  arise,  seeking  such  aid  as  we  can  find  within 
our  reach.  We  have  the  inner  light,  and  we 
have  available  a  vast  amount  of  positive  knowl- 
edge based  upon  reflection  and  experience. 

Nevertheless,  helpful  suggestions  of  a  general 
character  may  be  given  ;  in  regard  to  some  things 
we  may  be  clear.  The  way  in  which  we  must 
travel  is  not  altogether  without  signposts  afford- 
ing needful  directions. 

We  speak  about  social  righteousness,  but  for 
each  person  the  beginning  is  found  in  personal 
salvation.  It  is  safe  to  give  this  advice  :  Bring 
yourself  into  right  relations  with  God ;  that  is 
the  beginning  of  all  things.  Through  this  right 
relationship  with  God,  seek  to  enter  into  right 
relations  with  your  fellows.  If  we  begin  other- 
wise, it  is  impossible  to  tell  where  we  will  end. 
Humanitarianism  by  itself — that  is  to  say,  hu- 
manitarianism  which  does  not  rest  back  upon 
God — is  as  unstable  as  the  sands.  The  enthu- 
siasm of  humanity  of  to-day  may  end  to-morrow 
in  cold  egoism.  The  question  naturally  soon 
suggests  itself,  "  Why,  after  all,  should  I  trouble 
myself  about  my  neighbors ;  my  efforts  seem  to 
accomplish  little,  and,  after  all,  man  is  a  poor 
creature."  It  is  only  in  Christ  that  man  is  ex- 
alted. Apart  from  Christ  the  natural  tendency 
is  to  come  back  to  the  standpoint  of  the  Greeks 
and  despise  the  masses. 


What  to  Do.  251 

We  need  to  keep  close  to  Christ  to  avoid  the 
dangers  which  beset  each  one  of  us.  Whatever 
our  situation,  it  has  its  peculiar  dangers.  We 
have  seen  how  much  is  expected  of  us,  and  we 
are  reminded  that  Christ  said,  "  Narrow  is  the 
way."  We  have  found  how  great  the  responsi- 
bility of  a  rich  man,  and  how  difficult  for  him  to 
conform  to  the  law  of  mutual  love  in  his  earn- 
ings and  in  his  expenditures,  and  we  are  reminded 
that  Christ  said  that  it  was  easier  for  a  camel  to 
go  through  the  needle's  eye  than  for  a  rich  man 
to  enter  into  the  kingdom.  But  the  poor  also 
have  their  peculiar  dangers,  and  especially  so 
at  the  present  time  when  so  much  social  agita- 
tion of  an  evil  character  is  going  forward.  Envy 
is  a  social  force  pulling  men  down,  and  this  is 
observable  at  every  turn  at  the  present  time ;  it 
is  one  of  the  things  making  our  public  life  poor 
and  mean.  It  shows  itself  in  a  communism  of 
the  worst  type  which,  instead  of  pulling  men  up, 
wants  to  pull  all  down  to  a  common  level,  and 
reduce  every  manifestation  of  excellence  to  a 
wretched  mediocrity. 

Each  one  may  well  bear  in  mind  the  parable 
of  the  fig  tree :  If  it  bears  fruit,  it  is  good ;  if 
not,  it  is  hewn  down.  If  we  receive  Christ  in 
our  heart,  and  then  do  not  go  to  work  to  bear 
fruit ;  if  we  do  not  help  and  comfort  others  ;  if  we 
fail  to  minister  to  those  about  us,  to  show  mercy 


252  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

unto  prisoners  and  captives,  then  the  sap  of  life 
dries  up,  the  life  in  us  dies,  we  wither  away  and 
lose  that  which  we  had.  It  is  a  condition  of  life 
that  we  must  pass  on  what  we  receive,  and  pass 
it  on  enlarged.  "  Blessed  be  God,  .  .  .  who  com- 
forteth  us  in  all  our  tribulations,  that  we  may  be 
able  to  comfort  them  which  are  in  any  trouble."  ' 
In  our  practical  activity,  there  are  no  words 
more  useful  to  keep  in  mind  than  these:  "The 
next  thing."  Do  the  next  thing.  Generally 
this  is  something  definite  and  concrete;  possibly 
not  something  large  and  grand,  yet  who  can  tell  ? 
The  story  of  the  leper  general  is  typical.  He  was 
told  to  wash  in  the  waters  of  a  little  brook.  This 
was  something  so  simple  that  it  was  rejected  in 
scorn.  Some  great  and  difficult  thing  was  wanted. 
The  work  of  everyone  tells.  Society  is  an  organ- 
ism made  up  of  interdependent  parts,  each  one 
in  itself  a  living  organism.  We  have  to  work 
both  ways :  downward  to  the  parts,  and  upward 
to  the  whole.  At  any  moment  what  can  be  done 
will  find  fixed  limits  in  the  character  of  the  indi- 
,viduals  who  comprise  the  whole.  Every  improve- 
ment in  your  own  character  and  in  your  own  sur- 
roundings is  an  improvement  for  every  circle, 
large  and  small,  of  which  you  form  a  part.  Every 
helpful  word,  every  kind  deed,  is  a  contribution 

to  the  perfection  of  society.     We  must  be  care- 

\ 

1  2  Corinthians  i,  3,  4. 


What  to  Do.  253 

ful,  lest  we  despise  small  things.  We  may  read 
of  the  grand  work  of  a  man  like  Charles  Loring 
Brace,  the  soul  of  the  Children's  Aid  Society  of 
New  York  city,  and  feel  discouraged,  or  think 
our  own  sphere  of  action  too  small,  when  we  are 
told  that  he  rescued  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
children.  A  spirit  of  despondency,  possibly,  may 
seize  us  if  we  read  an  account  of  the  vastly  larger 
work  of  the  seventh  Earl  of  Shaftesbury,  and  learn 
that  the  factory  legislation  which  he  did  so  much 
to  bring  about,  and  his  other  social  efforts,  changed 
greatly  the  life  of  England,  benefiting  millions 
of  human  beings  in  his  own  lifetime,  and  many 
more  millions  unborn  at  the  time  of  his  death. 
Their  deeds  were  grand,  indeed,  and  all  honor  to 
them  !  But  what  social  conditions  made  their 
beneficent  activity  possible?  When  we  reflect 
carefully  upon  this  question,  we  discover  that 
millions  toiled  to  make  their  deeds  a  possibility. 
The  next  thing  is  the  thing  for  each  one.  If  we 
take  a  step  at  a  time,  always  doing  the  next 
thing,  and  walk  forward  in  the  right  path,  we 
may  find  that  finally  we  have  traveled  a  long  dis- 
tance ;  and  one  thing  is  certain,  and  that  is,  in 
the  end  we  will  receive  the  plaudit,  "  Well  done." 
The  work  for  a  student  is  to  do  his  best  as  a 
student,  acquiring  what  he  can.  The  thing  for 
the  carpenter  to  do  is  to  become  the  best  possible 
carpenter,  feeling  that  his  calling  is  a  calling  of 


254  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

God  ;  that  he  is,  indeed,  a  carpenter  by  the  grace 
of  God.  If  a  way  opens  for  something  which 
seems  larger  and  brings  greater  emoluments,  very 
well;  but  good  carpenters,  good  blacksmiths, 
good  farmers,  as  well  as  good  lawyers,  judges, 
and  congressmen,  have  an  honorable  work,  and 
if  their  tasks  are  well  discharged  their  work  will 
help  bring  in  the  kingdom. 

Another  word — "Seek  light."  Misguided  en- 
thusiasm may  do  more  harm  than  good.  We 
are  responsible  for  the  use  of  our  intellectual  as 
well  as  our  emotional  natures.  It  is  for  us  to  use 
such  opportunities  as  we  have  to  know  what 
should  be  done,  and  how  it  should  be  done.  We 
must  remember  how  Christ  reproached  the  pro- 
fessedly religious  people  of  His  day  with  blind- 
ness, and  how  grievous  a  sin  in  His  eyes  was  this 
blindness.  "Ye  blind  guides,"  "Ye  fools  and 
blind,"  "Ye  fools  and  blind,"  "  Ye  blind  guides," 
"  Thou  blind  Pharisee " — these  all  occur  in  a 
single  discourse — an  awful  sermon  of  condemna- 
tion, the  like  of  which  in  its  severe  denunciation 
has,  perhaps,  never  been  surpassed.  "  Get  wis- 
dom, and  with  all  thy  getting,  get  understand- 
ing." '  We  are  told  that  wisdom  is  the  principal 
thing ;  and  if  we  interpret  wisdom  largely  enough, 
this  is  true.  "  Look  and  see,"  is  the  injunction 
of  an  economist  who  believed  in  observation.  It 

1  Proverbs  iv,  7. 


What  to  Do.  255 

is  a  good  motto.  "  Look  and  see."  We  must 
read  the  Bible,  and  we  must  read  the  lives  of 
those  who  have  done  great  things ;  the  lives  of 
servants  of  God,  like  Elizabeth  Fry,  John  How- 
ard, and  the  seventh  Earl  of  Shaftesbury.1  Meth- 
ods of  conspicuously  successful  soldiers  of  the 
cross  are  to  be  studied.  Our  Church  is  a  Church 
militant,  and  tactics  may  not  be  neglected.  Our 
meetings  together  should  be  meetings  in  which 
to  lay  plans  for  work,  and  meetings  in  which  re- 
ports should  be  made  of  work  done.  Reports 
should  be  made  of  poor  succored  and  children 
rescued  from  evil  surroundings,  and  of  alms- 
houses,  jails,  and  prisons  visited. 

We  may  take  up  our  various  social  circles,  one 
after  the  other,  and  seek  to  apply  our  general 
principles  in  each  one  of  them.  For  the  indi- 
vidual, the  first  social  circle  is  the  family.  This 
is  the  social  cell,  and  must  be  regarded  from  the 
social  point  of  view.  Multiplied  divorces  are  a 
natural  outcome  of  an  individualistic  point  of 
view  of  the  family.  It  may  seem  hard  that  two 
incompatible  natures  should  be  obliged  to  live 
together  and  should  not  separate,  and  each  one 

1  Especially  the  latter,  as  he  is  a  man  of  our  own  times,  and  his 
work  is  peculiarly  instructive  for  us.  See  Life  and  Work  of  the 
Seventh.  Earl  of  Shaftesbury,  by  Edwin  Hodder,  in  three  vol- 
umes. Cassell  &  Company,  New  York,  1886.  The  work  is 
exceedingly  entertaining,  and  should  not  fail  to  be  in  every  Sun- 
day school  library. 
17 


256  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

join  itself  to  a  congenial  and  helpful  nature  ;  but 
the  social  point  of  view  at  once  forces  home  the 
question,  What  are  the  social  consequences  ?  To 
this  question  there  can  be  only  one  answer,  and 
that  completely  vindicates  the  law  of  Christ  with 
respect  to  divorce.  We  are  to  build  up  in  every 
way  the  family,  providing  for  our  own,  and  not 
drawing  the  line  too  closely  about  those  whom 
we  consider  members  of  our  own  family.  There 
is  a  tendency  at  present  to  a  decay  of  family 
feeling,  and  even  close  relationship  is  too  fre- 
quently forgotten  when  there  is  an  occasion  for 
helpful  service,  although  vividly  enough  remem- 
bered when  an  estate  is  to  be  divided  among 
heirs !  We  have,  in  considerations  based  upon 
the  family,  a  guide  for  a  large  proportion  of  our 
social  conduct.  A  sound  family  life  implies  a 
right  physical  environment,  and  this  brings  be- 
fore us  sanitary  reform  in  all  our  cities.  Improved 
drainage,  small  parks,  playgrounds,  may  be  men- 
tioned. Saloons  and  brothels  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  the  home  and  the  school  mean  a  poi- 
soned environment.  It  is  particularly  the  poor 
who  suffer  in  this  respect,  as  was  well  brought 
forward  before  the  American  Federation  of  Labor 
at  its  recent  convention  by  a  representative  of  the 
Women's  Christian  Temperance  Union.  It  ap- 
pears that  in  New  York,  some  time  ago,  there 
was  one  liquor  saloon  to  200  inhabitants,  but  in  the 


What  to  Do.  257 

slum  district  one  saloon  to  129  persons;  in  Phil- 
adelphia the  figures  were  870  and  502 ;  in  Balti- 
more, 229  and  105  ;  in  Chicago,  212  and  127. l 

Conditions  of  work  may  also  be  examined  from 
the  standpoint  of  the  family.  If  the  father  toils 
fifteen,  sixteen,  and  seventeen  hours  a  day,  as 
happened  a  few  years  ago  in  the  case  of  the  street- 
car employees  of  Baltimore,  it  must  be  at  the 
expense  of  the  family.  It  is  impossible  that 
he  should  discharge  his  duties  to  his  family  when 
he  scarcely  sees  his  own  children  awake  for  weeks 
at  a  time.  If  wage-earners  toil  seven  days  in  a 
week,  this  can  only  be  at  the  expense  of  the 
family.  If  work  on  other  days  is  so  hard  that 
Sunday  is  used  simply  for  recovery  from  physical 
exhaustion,  then  the  family  is  deprived  of  reli- 
gious influences.  If  little  children  who  should 
be  in  school  are  at  work  in  shops  and  factories, 
and  the  mothers  are  obliged  to  leave  home  for  the 
support  of  the  family,  then  this,  likewise,  can 
only  tend  to  the  decay  of  the  family.  When  we 
discuss  the  children  in  the  family  which  should 
be  a  shield  to  them,  a  bulwark  of  defense  against 
evils,  a  garden  in  which  they  may  grow  up  into 
manhood  and  womanhood  surrounded  by  all 

1  See  the  article  on  "  Our  Slums,"  by  Dr.  J.  H.  W.  Stucken- 
berg,  Homiletic  Review,  October,  1895  ;  also,  "  Labor  and 
Temperance,"  by  Mrs.  J.  H.  W.  Stuckenberg,  in  the  American 
Federationist,  of  Indianapolis,  January,  1896. 


258  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

good  influences,  we  think  of  the  bad  environ- 
ment which  poisons  childhood  so  frequently,  and 
we  remember  Christ's  solicitude  for  little  chil- 
dren: "  Whoso  shall  offend  one  of  these  little  ones 
which  believe  in  Me,  it  were  better  for  him  that 
a  millstone  were  hanged  about  his  neck,  and  that 
he  were  drowned  in  the  depth  of  the  sea."1  If  we 
have  eyes  to  see,  we  cannot  fail  to  discern  con- 
ditions all  about  us,  those  mentioned  and  many 
others,  which  cause  our  little  ones  to  stumble, 
and  every  one  is  responsible  precisely  in  so  far 
as  he  has  not  given  heed  to  these  conditions, 
and  done  what  in  him  lies  to  remedy  them. 
We  have  here  brought  before  us  vast  evils,  and 
some  way  out  of  them  must  be  discovered. 
There  is  wisdom  enough  in  the  churches  for 
the  solution  of  these  problems,  if  it  is  earnestly 
applied  to  them. 

The  mention  of  the  Church  brings  before  us 
another  social  circle  which  must  be  yeast  in 
society,  leavening  the  whole.  The  work  of 
the  Church  becomes  immensely  more  difficult 
with  the  complexity  of  modern  society.  Pas- 
tors and  preachers  have  a  natural  leadership  in 
the  work  of  the  Church,  and  the  vastness  of 
this  work  suggests  the  need  of  strong  men  in 
the  pulpit.  But  the  laity,  also,  have  their  work. 
It  is  not  for  them  simply  to  receive,  but  for 

1  Matthew  xviii,  6. 


What  to  Do.  259 

them  also  to  feel  like  responsibility  with  their 
leaders.  It  is  for  all  in  the  Church  to  make  her 
a  fit  bride  of  Christ. 

The  Church  must  hold  before  herself  her  ideal 
as  a  transforming  power  for  righteousness. 
Righteousness  means  Tightness — right  relations 
toward  God  and  man.  It  is,  perhaps,  signifi- 
cant that  we  have  come  to  use  the  word  "  reli- 
gion "  more  frequently  than  "  righteousness." 
They  may  mean  the  same  things ;  but  it  is  sug- 
gestive that  in  the  Bible  the  word  "  religion  "  is 
used  three  times,  and  the  word  "  righteousness" 
more  than  one  hundred  times  three  times.  Prob- 
ably the  modern  Christian  uses  the  word  "  reli- 
gion" at  least  ten  times  asoften  as  theword  "right- 
eousness." The  ultimate  ideal,  so  far  as  we  can 
gather  from  the  prophets  and  the  Book  of  Reve- 
lation, is  the  Church  as  the  all-embracing  form 
of  association  for  every  kind  of  social  work.  But 
this  must  mean  a  oneness  of  Church  and  State, 
as  we  have  already  mentioned.  This  implies  a 
complete  transformation  and  change  from  any- 
thing that  we  now  know,  and  we  have  to  build 
up  each  one  of  these  great  divine  institutions  in 
its  own  sphere.  We  have  work  in  the  Church 
to  do  which  we  may  call  extensive,  bringing 
others  into  relations  with  the  Church  and  in- 
creasing its  members. 

But  quite  as  important  is  intensive  work,  to 


260  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

be  conducted,  not  ostentatiously,  but  quietly. 
This  is  the  field  for  individual  and  social  effort. 
This  is  the  kind  of  work  which  the  Epworth 
League,  the  Christian  Endeavor  Societies,  St. 
Andrew's  Brotherhood,  and  other  organizations 
are  all  doing,  and  will  do,  we  may  hope,  more 
effectively  in  the  future.  Through  these  organi- 
zations individual  power  may  be  brought  to  bear 
upon  the  life  of  the  Church.  We  criticise  the 
Church,  not  as  an  ideal  organization,  but  as  an 
actual  organization  of  those  who  profess  Chris- 
tianity ;  and  we  do  so  rightly.  Yet  there  is  no 
reason  why  we  should  despair  of  the  Church,  but 
quite  the  contrary.  We  may  also  say,  so  far 
as  the  relations  of  anyone  to  his  individual 
Church  is  concerned,  that  a  change  should  not 
lightly  be  made.  The  work  to  do  is  extensive 
and  intensive. 

It  is  a  great  thing  to  work  through  the 
Church.  We  have  in  the  Church  an  immense  or- 
ganization, built  up  by  the  efforts  of  generation 
upon  generation  for  well-nigh  nineteen  hun- 
dred years.  We  have  an  organization  which  will 
endure,  and  efforts  put  into  this  organization  will 
last. 

Within  the  Church  it  is  for  us  to  do  good  to 
those  about  us  and  to  form  a  true  brotherhood, 
so  that  men  may  say  again,  "  How  these  Chris- 
tians love  one  another  !  "  At  times  a  particular 


What  to  Do.  261 

church  organization  tends  to  become  a  fashion- 
able club.  Nothing  could  be  further  from  the 
mind  of  Christ.  The  church  is  to  exercise  the 
widest  hospitality.  We  are  to  attend  the  serv- 
ices of  the  church,  not  merely  in  plain  but  in- 
expensive attire,  lest  worldly  discrimination 
should  creep  into  the  church,  and  our  conduct 
become  a  stumbling-block  to  others. 

But  our  work  in  the  Church  is  the  redemption 
of  the  world,  not  plucking  a  few  out  of  the  world. 
The  Church  must  ever  be  remembered  as  leave*n, 
leavening  the  entire  lump.  This  suggests  a  true 
unity  of  Christians,  working  together  on  the 
world.  If  all  institutions  are  to  be  redeemed, 
then  it  is  important  to  remember  that  we  have 
something  far  larger  before  us  than  merely  the 
upbuilding  of  denominational  institutions,  im- 
portant as  these  may  be.  It  is  for  us  to  put  the 
spirit  of  Christ  into  all  social  institutions.  It  is 
for  Christians  not  only  to  exercise  a  care  over 
the  home  for  the  aged  which  bears  a  denomi- 
national name,  but  over  the  county  poorhouse. 
It  is  for  Christians  not  only  to  exercise  solicitude 
with  respect  to  the  church  hospital,  but  to  ex- 
tend their  watchfulness  to  the  city  hospital.  It 
is  for  them  not  merely  to  build  up  the  school  of 
a  religious  sect,  but  the  public  school ;  not 
merely  to  care  for  the  church  college,  but  to  see 
to  it  that  the  State  university  is  all  that  it 


262  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

should  be.  We  have  a  family  selfishness,  against 
which  Christ  warned  us  in  His  precepts  and 
practice.  But  we  have  also  a  church  selfishness 
which  is  equally  contrary  to  the  mind  of  Christ. 
Christ  scarcely  uttered  the  word  "church,"  but 
the  word  "  kingdom "  was  perpetually  in  His 
mouth.  We  must  see  to  it  that  for  us  the  church 
means  the  kingdom. 

Coming  back  to  our  maxim,  "  The  next  thing," 
we  may  ask  ourselves,  "  What  is  the  '  next  thing ' 
in'social  work  for  the  Church  ?  "  There  is  cer- 
tainly no  work  of  this  nature  less  open  to  ques- 
tion and  more  pressing  than  that  which  is 
brought  before  us  by  chanties  and  correction. 
Beneficence  has  in  all  ages  been  considered  a  pe- 
culiar feature  of  the  life  of  the  Church.  It  is 
especially  mentioned  that  it  is  one  object  of 
the  Epworth  League  to  train  young  members 
and  friends  of  the  Church  "  in  works  of  mercy 
and  help."  '  No  Christian  organization  has  ever 
denied  the  duty  of  Christians  with  respect  to 
charities  and  correction.  This  is  work  which 
can  be  only  in  a  limited  sense  denominational 

1  It  is  interesting  to  read  that  John  Wesley,  Charles  Wesley, 
George  Whitefield,  and  other  members  of  Oxford  University 
formed  a  society  and  "  began  practical  work  with  the  prisoners 
in  Oxford  castle,  visiting  and  comforting  them  in  their  confine- 
ment, helping  the  unfortunate  debtors  locked  up  in  Bocardo, 
and  paying  for  the  education  of  poor  children."  Vide  English 
Social  Reformers,  by  H.  de  B.  Gibbins,  M.A.,  p.  78. 


What  to  Do.  263 

work.  It  is  a  work  in  which  Christians  must 
unite  with  one  another,  and  enter  into  relations 
with  public  authorities  and  public  institutions,  if 
their  work  is  to  be  fruitful.  Yet,  notwithstand- 
ing the  clearest  instructions  from  the  founder  of 
the  Church  and  His  apostles,  notwithstanding 
all  our  professions,  there  is  the  strangest  neglect 
of  those  most  wretched  and  unhappy  classes  of 
human  beings  for  whom  charities  and  correction 
exist.  We  pray  continually  for  "  fatherless  chil- 
dren and  widows,  and  all  who  are  desolate  and 
oppressed."  A  great  deal  of  charitable  work  is 
accomplished  ;  but  much  of  it  is  so  unintelligent, 
that  the  question  is  often  raised  whether  it  does 
more  harm  than  good.  What  we  are  instructed 
to  do  is  to  consider  the  poor  and  needy,  endeav- 
oring always  so  to  help  men  as  to  prevent  the 
evil  of  pauperism,  and  to  cure  it  where  it  does 
exist.1  That  is  what  we  do  not  do,  for  we  put 

1  In  anticipation  of  a  plea  often  urged  for  an  evasion  of  social 
duties  it  may  be  observed  in  this  connection  :  First,  that  Christ 
did  not  say,  "  The  poor  ye  shall  always  have  with  you."  He  used 
the  present  tense,  pointing  to  a  present  fact.  The  poor  were 
always  present  with  them.  Second,  poverty  is  one  thing,  pau- 
perism is  another.  Thoughtful  people  are  beginning  to  feel  that 
there  is  no  reason  why  pauperism  should  continue,  although  rel- 
atively poor  people  will  always  be  with  us,  and  there  can  never  be  a 
time  when  mutual  helpfulness  will  not  be  needed.  We  have  abun- 
dant experience  to  show  us  that  pauperism  can  be  exterminated, 
if  an  earnest  and  intelligent  and  general  effort  is  made  to  accom- 
plish this  purpose.  Third,  if  the  poor  are  always  with  us,  this  is 


264  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

little  heart  and  less  mind  into  our  charitable  and 
correctional  work.  If  it  is  proposed  to  consider 
the  charitable  and  correctional  work  of  a  city 
full  of  churches,  and  the  wisest  and  most  expe- 
rienced men  in  these  lines  of  work  come  to  im- 
part to  those  who  are  gathered  together  lessons 
derived  from  their  wisdom  and  experience,  it  is  ex- 
tremely difficult  to  gather  together  an  audience  for 
those  things  which  ought  to  concern  Christians 
most  deeply.  It  would  be  something  to  create 
surprise  if,  in  a  city  with  fifty  churches,  one  of 
them  could  be  filled  on  such  an  occasion.  The 
management  of  public  charitable  and  correctional 
institutions  is  of  the  most  vital  concern  to  the 
most  needy,  and  in  some  cases  the  most  helpless, 
members  of  the  community.  In  some  instances, 
as  in  the  case  of  the  feeble-minded  and  the  in- 
sane, we  have,  indeed,  to  do  with  those  who  are 
utterly  helpless.  Trained  workers  of  high  char- 
acter may  do  a  great  deal  for  those  thousands  of 
unhappy  beings  in  every  commonwealth  in  the 
Union.  Management  of  the  reverse  kind  works 
immeasurable  harm  and  unspeakable  cruelty. 
Nevertheless,  so  neglectful  have  the  churches 

no  excuse  for  our  neglect  of  the  problem  of  poverty.  Quite  the 
contrary  is  taught  in  the  Bible.  The  statement  in  Deuteronomy, 
that  "  the  poor  shall  never  cease  out  of  the  land,"  is  immediately 
followed  by  this  injunction  :  "  Therefore,  I  command  thee,  say- 
ing, Thou  shall  open  thine  hand  wide  unto  thy  brother,  to  thy 
poor,  and  to  thy  needy  in  thy  laud"  (Exodus  xv,  11). 


What  to  Do.  265 

been  of  charities  and  correction,  that  they  raise  no 
general,  forceful  protest  when  offices  connected 
with  these  institutions  are  made  the  spoils  of 
partisan  politics  and  distributed,  not  on  the  basis 
of  merit,  but  as  "plums,"  or  " pie,"  or  " fat ;  " 
expressions  used  every  day  in  the  press,  but  in- 
dicating a  low  moral  level  of  public  life.1  It  will 

1  Not  long  since  three  men  held  important  offices  in  Illinois, 
which  were  concerned  with  the  administration  of  charitable  and 
correctional  institutions.  These  men  had  held  these  offices  for 
many  years,  and  had  become  recognized  throughout  the  entire 
country  as  distinguished  authorities  in  their  field.  They  were 
an  honor  to  their  State,  and  their  activity  was  beneficent  to  those 
unfortunate  classes  placed  under  their  charge.  When  partisan 
politics  removed  these  men,  there  was  no  protest  on  the  part  of 
the  churches  of  which  the  author  has  been  able  to  discover  any 
trace.  When  recently  partisan  politics,  instead  of  tried  and  ap- 
proved fitness,  decided  appointments  in  an  industrial  school,  in- 
sane asylums,  and  the  school  for  the  blind  in  Wisconsin,  the 
Christian  people  of  the  State,  except  in  the  case  of  a  few  indi- 
viduals, had  nothing  to  say.  Sh'all  we  blame  the  politicians  ? 
A  politician  who  may  regret  the  existing  condition  of  affairs 
can  well  say:  "I  am  powerless.  There  is  no  evidence  of  any 
sentiment  in  the  State  which  would  support  me,  should  I  do 
what  is  really  desirable  in  the  matter  of  these  appointments." 
The  answer  may  not  be  entirely  satisfactory,  but  the  blame  rests 
chiefly  on  the  churches,  for  if  they  were  deeply  interested  and 
watchful,  these  things  would  be  impossible.  When  societies  like 
the  Epworth  League,  the  Christian  Endeavor  Societies,  and  St. 
Andrew's  Brotherhood  become  aroused  on  subjects  of  this  kind, 
these  things  will  have  to  cease.  Politicians  of  the  better  sort 
will  rejoice,  and  politicians  of  the  baser  sort  will  be  powerless 
to  prevent  righteousness  in  their  appointments  to  these  public 
offices. 


266  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

not  do  to  say  that  we  have  not  thought  of  these 
things,  for  we  are  put  here,  and  given  minds  and 
hearts  that  we  may  think  of  them.  The  con- 
demnation is,  "  Inasmuch  as  ye  did  it  not  unto 
one  of  the  least  of  these." 

It  may  be  well  to  give  some  definite  and  pre- 
cise methods  to  be  followed  by  those  who  would 
arouse  an  intelligent  interest  on  the  part  of  Chris- 
tian people  in  charities  and  correction,  and  who 
would  stimulate  right  action.  The  following 
suggestions  are  offered :  First,  study  the  results 
of  experience  and  thought,  as  presented  in  two 
excellent  books  on  these  subjects,  namely :  War- 
ner's American  Charities  and  Wines's  Punishment 
and  Reformation.  A  class  may  be  formed  taking 
up  first  Dr.  Warner's  book,  chapter  by  chapter, 
and  then  Dr.  Wines's  work.  All  persons  who 
can  be  found  willing  to  "  lend  a  hand  "  should 
be  asked  to  join  the  class.  From  time  to  time 
some  one  with  special  knowledge  or  experience 
may  be  invited  to  address  the  class  on  that  topic 
with  which  he  or  she  has  become  familiar.  Jails, 
poorhouses,  insane  asylums,  police  stations  in 
cities,  are  topics  which  occur  at  once  to  the  mind. 
Then  when  some  knowledge  has  been  gained,  all 
institutions  of  this  character  which  can  be  reached 
should  be  visited,  their  actual  administration 
studied,  and  their  needs  discovered.  Work  will 
be  found  in  abundance.  On  the  one  hand  there 


What  to  Do,  267 

will  be  inmates  of  institutions  to  be  visited  reg- 
ularly, and  it  may  come  about  that  on  visiting 
lists  of  ladies  will  be  found  those  who  now  are 
hungry  for  what  can  be  given  in  cheerful  and 
helpful  words.  Hospitality,  which  is  praised  by 
the  Apostle  Paul,  may  be  extended  in  directions 
indicated  in  the  New  Testament.  On  the  other 
hand,  evils  and  abuses  will  be  discovered,  and 
after  these  are  thoroughly  understood  they  may 
be  brought  before  the  public  and  kept  before  the 
public  until  remedied.  And  if  wherever  there  is 
a  Christian  church,  or  even  wherever  there  is  a 
branch  of  the  Epworth  League,  or  a  Christian 
Endeavor  Society,  there  are  at  least  one  or  two 
who  understand  these  questions  and  are  alive  to 
their  import,  whenever  it  is  proposed  to  use  pub- 
lic offices  in  charitable  and  correctional  institu- 
tions as  "  pie  "  and  "fat,"  there  will  arise  such  a 
mighty  cry,  "Hands  off,"  that  no  politician  will 
dare  to  disobey  it. 

If  we  open  the  Prayer  Book  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church,  or  Wesley's  Sunday  Service, 
we  find  this  petition  :  "  That  it  may  please  thee 
to  preserve  all  who  travel  by  land  or  water,  all 
women  in  the  perils  of  childbirth,  all  sick  per- 
sons, and  young  children  ;  and  to  show  thy  pity 
upon  all  prisoners  and  captives ;  We  beseech 
thee  to  hear  us,  good  Lord."  It  may  be  sup- 
posed that  like  prayers  may  be  heard  in  every 


268  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

church.  How  much  social  reform  is  embraced 
in  this  one  petition?  How  much  social  work 
does  it  suggest,  if,  indeed,  we  are  to  work  for 
that  for  which  we  pray  ?  "  All  who  travel  by 
land  or  water  " — railway  employees,  exposed  to 
needless  jeopardy  every  hour ;  likewise  railway 
passengers ;  also  stokers  and  other  employees  of 
steamship  companies,  whose  environment  is  no- 
toriously bad.  The  preservation  of  all  who  travel 
by  land  or  sea  involves  a  goodly  proportion  of 
needed  reform.  "  All  women  in  the  perils  of 
childbirth,"  and  "young  children,"  remind  us, 
among  other  things,  of  needed  sanitary  reforms, 
for  unsanitary  conditions  imperil  both  classes, 
destroying,  needlessly,  the  lives  of  hundreds  of 
thousands  yearly.  "Young  children  "  suggests 
the  abuses  of  factory  labor  on  the  one  hand,  and 
the  improvement  of  schools  on  the  other ;  also 
the  opportunities  for  helpful,  life-giving  enjoy- 
ment. 

The  labor  movement  and  the  Church  is  a  fruit- 
ful topic.  Everywhere  the  question  is  asked, 
"  What  attitude  shall  the  Church  take  with  re- 
spect to  the  labor  movement  ?  "  The  Church,  as 
such,  can,  to  be  sure,  take  comparatively  few  posi- 
tions, and  these  must  relate,  for  the  most  part, 
rather  to  ends  to  be  accomplished  than  to  meth- 
ods to  be  followed  in  the  accomplishment  of  these 
ends.  But  certain  general  things  can  be  made 


What  to  Do.  269 

clear.  The  aims  of  life  for  wage-earners  and  all 
others  should  be  held  before  us.  The  social  doc- 
trines of  the  entire  Bible  may  be  explained,  bring- 
ing into  right  relations  the  Old  and  the  New 
Testament.  The  Bible  doctrine  of  land  is  one  of 
importance.  It  is  well  said  of "  the  law  given 
from  God  by  Moses  "  that  the  civil  precepts 
thereof  ought  not  "  of  necessity  be  received  in 
any  commonwealth."  This  would  imply  an 
adoption  of  institutions  which  are  not  adapted  to 
modern  conditions,  and  which  would  accomplish 
results  quite  contrary  to  the  purposes  of  these 
civil  precepts.  But  the  permanent  spirit  of  them 
must  again  and  again  be  brought  before  us,  re- 
membering that  Christianity  always  means  more 
kindness  than  Judaism,  not  less ;  more  generos- 
ity, not  less ;  more  love  to  all  men,  not  less  to 
any  man. 

It  is  not  easy  for  the  writer  to  understand  how 
a  preacher,  as  a  preacher,  can  advocate  at  the 
present  time  anything  in  regard  to  which  there 
are  such  differences  of  opinion  on  the  part  of 
good  men,  and  in  regard  to  which  there  is  so 
much  uncertainty,  as  the  single  tax.  The  same 
may  be  said  with  respect  to  socialism,  in  a  nar- 
row sense,  implying  specific  schemes  for  reform. 
On  the  other  hand,  for  the  sake  of  social  peace, 
such  schemes  may  occasionally  be  described  with 
impartiality  and  their  religious  aspects  explained. 


270  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

Certain  ideals  which  both  the    single  tax  and 
socialism  place  before  men  are  implied  unques- 
tionably in  Christianity.     Each    man    is   to   be 
treated,  not  as  a  means  to  an  end,  but  as  an  end 
in  himself;    each   man  is  to  be  given  the   best 
opportunities  for  the  development  of  all  faculties, 
and  the  utmost  sympathy  must  be  shown  for  all 
efforts  to  elevate  truly  the  masses  of  men.     It 
can  also  well  be  pointed  out  how  vast  are  the 
new  responsibilities  brought  upon  us  by  our  in- 
creasing wealth.      Certain    ideals   which   would 
have   once  been    out  of  the  question  are   now 
brought  within  the  realm  of  practical  discussion 
by  our  larger  productive  power.     A  question  like 
the   eight-hour  day  will  serve  as    an  example. 
The  Church,  as  Church,  can  scarcely  take  a  posi- 
tion at  the  present  time  in  regard  to  anything  so 
definite  and  precise,  and  so   uncertain  in  its  re- 
sults.    It  can,  however,  well  be  brought  forward 
that  a  question  of  this  kind  means  something  dif- 
ferent now  from  what  it  could  have  meant  in 
earlier  days.     It  is  a  question  of  how  we  can  best 
utilize  the  new  opportunities   given   by  greater 
power  in  the  production  of  wealth.     It  can  also 
be  clearly  shown  that  if  the  larger  productive 
power  of  labor  is  consumed  simply  in  greater  lux- 
ury and  self-indulgence,  then  the  decay  of  nations 
which  past  ages  have  witnessed  will  inevitably 
continue,  and  a  grave  will  close  over  the  national 


What  to  Do.  271 

powers  of  to-day,  as  it  has  over  the  many  nations 
which  were  once  the  admiration  of  the  world,  but 
have  now  utterly  perished.  Peace  is  also  some- 
thing which  can  be  promoted  by  the  Church,  as 
Church,  and  this  will  be  effected  if  the  aims  and 
aspirations  of  the  labor  movement  are  under- 
stood, and  if  the  perplexities  and  difficulties  of 
various  classes  are  brought  forward.  It  is  not 
for  the  preacher  to  a  congregation  of  wage-earn- 
ers to  dwell  merely  upon  the  shortcomings  of  em- 
ployers and  the  vices  of  the  wealthy  ;  nor  is  it 
for  the  preacher  to  wealthy  congregations  so 
much  to  hold  up  the  alleged  wickedness  of  walk- 
ing delegates,  as  to  help  his  congregation  to 
know  what  the  workingmen  really  want,  and  to 
enforce  upon  the  wealthy  their  own  vast  respon- 
sibilities. 

We  may,  in  short,  "  study  in  common  how  to 
apply  the  moral  truths  and  principles  of  Chris- 
tianity to  the  social  and  economic  difficulties  of 
the  present  time,"  and  we  may  "  present  Christ 
in  practical  life  as  the  Living  Master  and  King, 
the  enemy  of  wrong  and  selfishness,  the  power 
of  righteousness  and  love." 

It  has  been  suggested  that  certain  Sundays 
may  be  set  apart  for  the  consideration  of  social 
topics  from  the  Christian  point  of  view.  Many 
cities  already  have  a  hospital  Sunday,  and  every- 
where at  least  one  sermon  a  year  may  be  de- 
18 


272  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

voted  to  chanties  and  correction.  It  has  been 
recommended  that  the  Sunday  before  the  first 
Monday  in  September  (the  Sunday  before  Labor 
Day)  should  be  devoted  to  the  labor  problem, 
and  this  recommendation  has  been  followed  with 
good  results  in  at  least  a  few  churches.  The  first 
Sunday  in  May  may  also  appropriately  be  used 
for  some  such  purpose,  inasmuch  as  generally 
throughout  the  world  wage-earners  are  inclined 
to  look  upon  the  1st  of  May  as  an  international 
labor  day.  If  still  a  fourth  Sunday  should  be 
set  apart  for  the  consideration  of  a  civic  topic  it 
would  be  little  enough  when  we  remember  the 
importance  Christ  attached  to  whatever  con- 
cerned the  well-being  of  the  masses  of  men,  for 
we  must  not  forget  that  all  his  miracles  were 
wrought  to  relieve  pain  and  sorrow  and  to  pro- 
mote physical  and  mental  happiness.  There  was 
a  higher  purpose,  but  the  occasions  of  the  mira- 
cles surely  are  not  without  significance. 

If  we  encourage  those  who  have  the  opportu- 
nities and  the  brains  to  carry  on  studies  designed 
to  show  what  the  Gospel  means  in  all  the  details 
of  modern  life,  if  we  take  pains  to  keep  in  touch 
with  them,  if  we  take  up  in  our  churches  the  next 
things,  those  about  which  least  difference  of  opin- 
ion exists  on  the  part  of  conscientious  and  well- 
informed  persons,  as,  for  example,  charities  and 
correction,  and  child-saving  in  our  cities,  also 


What  to  Do.  273 

the  question  of  the  homes  of  the  people  and 
the  efforts  to  improve  the  dwellings  of  the 
poor,  treating  the  moral  bearings  of  this  prob- 
lem, helping  the  formation  of  social  settle- 
ments, where  the  fortunate  may  learn  the  needs 
of  those  less  fortunate,  and  minister  to  them;  if 
we  then  pass  on  to  the  problem  of  the  wage- 
earner,  dealing  first  with  the  demands  least  open 
to  question,  as  the  demand  for  a  rest  day  once  a 
week,  the  demand  for  leisure  for  duties  in  the 
family  every  day  and  for  the  satisfaction  of  the 
higher  needs  of  our  nature,  then  to  the  various 
phases  of  the  temperance  problem,  then  to  right- 
eousness in  civic  affairs,  feeling  our  way  cautious- 
ly, but  advancing  at  the  same  time  fearlessly,  we 
shall  find  our  vision  continually  growing  larger, 
and  our  field  of  work  broadening  out  and  finally 
including  the  entire  life  of  human  society. 

When  we  come  to  individual  Christians,  then 
we  also  enter  the  sphere  of  methods  as  well  as 
aims.  If  a  Christian  believes  that  the  single  tax 
will  accomplish  what  is  claimed  for  it,  then  he  is 
bound  to  advocate  it  at  the  proper  time  and  in' 
the  proper  place.  The  same  holds  with  regard 
to  many  other  questions  of  the  day,  even  with 
respect  to  the  temperance  question.  We  may 
safely  go  as  far  as  the  Discipline  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  goes,  and  say  that  it  is  for  the 
family,  the  Church,  and  the  State  to  work  to- 


274  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

gether  for  the  success  of  the  temperance  reform. 
We  must  be  very  clear  in  our  own  minds  about 
methods  before  we  can  insist  upon  precise  politi- 
cal methods  to  be  promoted  by  the  Church. 

A  high  citizenship  suggests  another  line  of 
work.  Here,  again,  what  the  Church  can  do 
finds  its  limitations,  and  yet  within  these  limits 
the  field  for  the  Church  is  a  vast  one.  The 
old  New  England  custom  of  election  sermons 
preached  before  each  election  is  entirely  in  keep- 
ing with  the  teachings  of  Christianity.  At  such 
a  time  it  can  be  pointed  out  what  moral  issues 
are  involved,  what  the  State  means,  and  whence 
the  State  derives  its  authority.  The  ideals  of 
the  State  can  be  held  up  to  men  ;  a  love  of  coun- 
try can  be  inculcated  as  a  part  of  Christianity, 
and  a  very  important  part.  And  this  love,  real 
and  genuine,  showing  itself,  not  so  much  in  loud 
talk  as  in  deeds,  is  a  condition  precedent  to  any 
permanent  and  decided  improvement  in  citizen- 
ship. 

For  it  is  true  that  those  who  place  civic  reform 
simply  upon  a  business  basis  have  not  yet  taken 
one  step  in  the  road  which  will  lead  to  the  at- 
tainment of  their  goal.  Aristotle,  even  before 
the  time  of  Christianity,  was  wise  enough  to 
recognize  that  the  affairs  of  the  nation  were  some- 
thing far  larger  than  business  affairs  in  any  nar- 
row sense,  and  that  the  aim  of  citizenship  was 


What  to  Do.  275 

something  higher  than  the  acquisition  of  wealth. 
It  is  true  that  private  aims  and  the  commercial 
spirit,  when  dominant,  lead  to  political  degrada- 
tion and  not  to  purification.  It  is  said,  for  ex- 
ample, "  the  government  of  the  city  is  business, 
not  politics."  No  one  can  point  to  any  great 
and  enduring  triumph  achieved  on  this  basis. 
It  will  not  fire  the  heart  of  the  masses  upon 
whom,  in  the  long  run,  the  life  of  the  nation,  in 
all  its  various  spheres,  must  rest.  What  does 
business  mean  to  the  wage-earner  ?  He  hears  the 
expression,  "  Business  is  business,"  and  down  go 
his  wages  ten  per  cent.  "  Business  is  business," 
and  the  factory  is  closed.  "  Business  is  business," 
and  he  is  offered  permanent  employment  in  the 
service  of  the  city  on  condition  that  he  will  sup- 
port a  corrupt  faction.  The  author  well  remem- 
bers meeting  a  barber  in  Berlin,  who  had  once 
been  a  citizen  of  the  United  States.  The  con- 
versation turned  upon  the  approaching  elections 
in  Germany,  and  the  writer  asked  the  barber 
whether  he  was  going  to  vote.  "  Why  should  I 
vote  ?  "  was  the  reply.  "  I  do  not  concern  myself 
with  politics,  nobody  gives  me  anything  for  my 
vote.  When  I  was  in  New  York  I  always  got 
five  dollars  for  my  vote,  and  that  was  a  different 
thing."  This  is  a  natural  outcome  of  the  down- 
ward tendency  of  the  maxim,  "  Business  is  busi- 
ness," when  introduced  into  politics.  Let  us  take, 


276  The  Social  Law  of  Service. 

however,  the  larger  idea  of  the  city  as  a  house- 
hold, and  we  have  something  upon  which  we  can 
build.  This  idea  means  larger  life,  and  it  awakens 
genuine  patriotism  ;  that  is  to  say,  real  love  for 
one's  country.  A  deservedly  popular  writer '  has 
well  said,  "  Without  reverence  and  love  citizen- 
ship cannot  exist."  We  must  have  a  feeling  for 
our  city,  for  our  country,  like  that  which  is  in- 
culcated in  the  Bible.  Our  Jerusalem  must  be  so 
dear  to  us  that  we  can  say  with  the  psalmist, 
"  If  I  forget  thee,  O  Jerusalem,  let  my  right  hand 
forget  her  cunning. 

"  If  I  do  not  remember  thee,  let  my  tongue 
cleave  to  the  roof  of  my  mouth ;  if  I  prefer  not 
Jerusalem  above  my  chief  joy."  2 

When  we  reach  this  point,  then  we  shall  attain 
civic  reform;  then  our  commonwealths  will  be  re- 
generated ;  then  shall  we  see  our  nation  a  new 
nation,  exalted  by  righteousness. 

1  Ian  Maclaren.  s  Psalm  cxxxvii,  5,  6. 


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